Interdisciplinary Journal of Education Research

Lecturers' perceptions of blended teaching in the Post COVID-19 Era: A case study of a University in Lesotho

Sekoai Elliot Nkhi — 2023-03-06

The study reports on implementing blended learning and teaching in the post COVID-19 era at a University in Lesotho. Research indicates that COVID-19 has necessitated the adoption of blended teaching and learning across the entire education domain. This suggests that traditional face-to-face teaching approaches were no longer appropriate due to the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, online teaching and learning became the only way lecturers in higher education, most especially in the selected University, could engage with their students. Therefore, the study sought to explore the implementation of blended teaching and learning in post COVID-19 at Limkokwing University. An interpretive paradigm was adopted in this study using a qualitative approach confined within a case study, and face-to-face interviews with lecturers (n=20) were used for data collection. Latent thematic analysis was the method used for analysing the emerging themes. Findings from interviews with lecturers reveal that blended teaching and learning is essential because it fosters learner-centredness through access to a plethora of electronic resources in several digital archives. Thus, the study recommends that blended teaching and learning should be adopted as a strategy for teaching and learning in Lesotho Universities.

A comparative analysis of gender trend in academic achievement among history graduates of a University in Nigeria

Oyeyemi J Jekayinfa — 2023-03-26

Given gender as properties that distinguish organisms based on their reproductive roles as female or male, these properties have been argued to have discrepancies in the learning abilities of males and females. Therefore, this study analysed gender and academic achievement trend of graduates in History Studies from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, from 2019 to 2021. This study adopted ex post facto research design within a census population. 1,491 male and female graduates of History Education from the Faculty of Education and History and International Studies from the Faculty of Arts from 2019 to 2021 were used as the sample. Therefore, the Order of Proceedings of the University of Ilorin for 2019, 2020, and 2021 was used for data collection. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics, such as bar charts and percentages, to answer research questions, and inferential statistics, such as the independent t-test for the hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings from this study revealed that the trend of academic achievement among male graduates with 2nd-Class-Upper and Lower was upward, while the proportion of males with 3rd Class and Pass was downward. The trend of academic achievement among female graduates with 2nd-Class-Upper, 2nd-Class-Lower, and Pass was upward, while the trend for 3^rd-Class was downward. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of male and female graduates from the University of Ilorin. Therefore, it is recommended that male and female students should take their studies and courses seriously, among other recommendations.

Pragmatic modifiers in teachers’ polite requests in EFL classroom interaction in Manggarai, Indonesia

Tobias Gunas — 2023-04-09

This research mainly explores pragmatic modifiers in shaping teachers’ polite requests in English Foreign Language classroom interaction (henceforth: EFL). The research was designed qualitatively, employing non-participant observation and field-note methods. Audio-video recording and note-taking were used to obtain the data on the male and female teachers’ utterances during classroom interaction. The key apparatuses are a smartphone Vivo of Y21 and a digital voice recorder of 32 GB to capture natural-occurring data. The data were analysed through three interactive procedures of qualitative data analysis; data condensation, display, and conclusion drawing. The data interpretation was primarily drawn on the pragmatic theory of politeness, FTAs, and pragmatic modifiers. Part of the data was analysed from language and gender perspectives. The findings yielded that the male and female teachers applied internal and external pragmatic modifiers to enact polite requests in classroom interaction settings. The internal pragmatic modifiers cover downtoner, politeness marker, appreciative opening, and hedged performative opening. The external pragmatic modifiers include vocative, disarmer, and propitiator. There is a slight difference between male and female teachers in realising those types of pragmatic modifiers. It was partly related to the features of women’s language. However, such empirical evidence could not be directly generated for language and gender. The findings have implications for further investigations to probe the issue in depth.

Institutional factors and curriculum fidelity in vocational training centres in Kampala City, Uganda

Richard Ochwo — 2023-06-05

The subject of curriculum fidelity continues to be a crucial area of investigation to uncover how the responsible stakeholders implement the curricula developed in relation to their intended purpose. This study investigated the institutional factors influencing curriculum fidelity in vocational training centres in Kampala, Uganda. Specifically, this study examined the influence of instructors’ self-efficacy, institutional support, and leadership effectiveness on curriculum fidelity in vocational training centres. This quantitative study adopted the correlational research design. The study involved a sample of 108 instructors from eight selected vocational training centres in Kampala, Uganda. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses, specifically Pearson linear correlation and regression, were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that instructors’ self-efficacy, institutional support, and leadership effectiveness positively and significantly influenced curriculum fidelity. The study concluded that instructors’ self-efficacy is imperative for curriculum fidelity, institutional support is essential for curriculum fidelity, and effective leadership is vital for curriculum fidelity. Therefore, it was recommended that the Ministry of Education and Sports and principals of vocational training centres should enhance the efficacy of instructors; vocational institutions should offer support to the instructors to ensure curriculum fidelity; and the Ministry of Education and Boards of Governors should ensure that vocational training centres have effective leadership. The practical contribution of the study is that it identifies institutional factors necessary for curriculum fidelity. These are instructors’ self-efficacy, institutional support, and leadership effectiveness.

Investigating illocutionary acts in video podcasts and its pedagogical implication in EFL teaching

Hieronimus Canggung Darong — 2023-06-07

This study belongs to qualitative- content analysis focusing on the illocutionary speech acts in video podcasts of Najwa Shihab. Data were collected from her interview with one of the invited guests which were subsequently coded and categorized into illocutionary types: representative, directive, commissive, and expressive. To know the distribution of each type, the frequency and percentage were counted simultaneously. The results of the analysis revealed that directive acts were the most frequently used and followed by representative, commissive, and expressive acts. These findings are of benefit to have a comprehensive understanding of the speech acts productions employed by Najwa Shihab in her video podcasts. In addition, the findings provide constructive dynamic strategies in communication and pedagogical implication in language teaching.

Students’ spatial thinking toward the school environment in Indonesia

Erna Mena Niman — 2023-06-08

This study describes the level of cognitive mapping among students in one of the senior high schools in Indonesia. This study aimed to determine the cognitive map of secondary students using a sketch map. The cognitive map elements studied were paths, edges, landmarks, districts, and nodes. This research uses an interpretive paradigm to reveal how students make meaning of their school environment through map sketches. The research approach used was descriptive qualitative. Data collection techniques included a map sketching test and direct interviews with six randomly selected key informants. Cognitive map analysis was used to analyse the cognitive map elements in students' map sketches. The results showed that second-grade students have diverse cognitive maps of their school environment. Thus, this study recommends that attention and substantial efforts from various parties, especially geography subject teachers, be more intense in utilising the surrounding environment as a geography learning laboratory at SMUK ST. Fransiskus Xaverius Ruteng.

Attitude toward plagiarism among Chemistry and Biology students in Algeria

Djanette Blizak-Meriem — 2023-06-10

Improvements are needed in promoting scientific integrity and ethical practices in academic work, particularly in recognising the contributions of other authors. And wherever academics use other authors' work, they are faced with the possibility of engaging in plagiarism. Therefore, it is essential to know the different attitudes of students towards it. Therefore, in the current study, a quantitative descriptive method was adopted to identify attitudes towards plagiarism of chemical and biological students. We randomly sampled 252 students studying at the Chemical and Biological Departments of Boumerdes University in Algeria in the first semester of the academic year of 2022-2023. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, and average), t-test and ANOVA were carried out using SPSS software. To compare the data, the significance level was accepted at a .05 level of significance. In addition, ATP (Attitudes Toward Plagiarism) questionnaire, after being translated and adapted to the Algerian context. The findings of this study revealed that students generally displayed a favourable attitude towards plagiarism. Gender was found to have no significant impact on attitudes and subjective norms concerning plagiarism. However, educational level was observed to play a role, as higher levels of education correlated with decreased positive attitudes and increased negative attitudes. Moreover, subjective norms have been identified as a powerful predictor of attitudes. It was, therefore, recommended that the importance of universities in addressing the issue of plagiarism among students.

Undergraduate students’ exploration of Instagram and TikTok in learning language skills contents: A leverage to digital literacy

Folasade Jimola — 2023-06-18

The literacy needed to live efficiently and functionally in a knowledge-driven society goes beyond the ability to read, write and calculate to a more encompassing literacy such as digital literacy. Two social media platforms, Instagram and TikTok, lend themselves to digital literacies and practices needed to learn language skills and content with ease and fun. The study investigated undergraduate students’ knowledge of and competence in using Instagram and TikTok as learning spaces for learning language skills and content. The study also examined the influence of age and gender on undergraduate students’ competence to use Instagram and TikTok to learn language skills and content. Two major language departments in a university in Nigeria were involved in the study. Three hundred and fifty-two students constituted the sample for the study; 110 from Linguistics/Languages Department and 242 from English and Literary studies. Data were collected using a close-ended-self-constructed questionnaire and a checklist. The data were analysed using inferential statistics. The study revealed that undergraduate students possess adequate knowledge of Instagram and TikTok as learning spaces and are competent to harness the features of Instagram and TikTok to learn language skills and language content. The study also shows that age and gender influence undergraduate students’ competence in using Instagram and TikTok. The study recommended that undergraduate students should harness the potential of Instagram and TikTok on activities that will enhance their linguistic repertoire.

Using consensus and cooperative reflective journal writing instructional strategies to enhance students’ achievement in Biology

Saheed Ayodeji Adejimi — 2023-08-22

Teachers are supposed to adapt their teaching-learning process based on classroom interaction to suit the learning conditions of learners to produce a complete learning community that is intellectually and behaviourally sound. This can only be achieved in a serene, friendly, and collaborative environment. This study determined the effects of consensus and cooperative reflective journal writing instructional strategies on students’ achievement in biology, with gender moderating at two levels. A pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design with a 3X2 factorial matrix was adopted. The treatment lasted for six weeks. The sample consisted of 305 senior secondary school II students in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo state, Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was the Students’ Biology Achievement Test (SBAT). The generated data were analysed using a two-way analysis of variance (ANCOVA) and the Bonferroni post-hoc test. The results of the study revealed that consensus and cooperative reflective journal writing strategies improved students’ achievement in biology. The results also revealed that gender affected students’ achievement in biology. Treatment and gender did not affect students’ achievement in biology. The study concluded that the strategies adopted enhance students’ achievement in biology and, therefore, recommended to be adopted in biology classrooms