-
Differentiated Instruction and Improving Student Learning: A Qualitative Study
Kasandra Alansa Scott,
Chris Cale,
Sunddip Panesar-Aguilar,
Michelle McCraney
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 4, July 2021
Pages:
114-118
Received:
19 June 2021
Accepted:
29 June 2021
Published:
5 July 2021
Abstract: Administration and ministers of elementary schools located in the target district in the Caribbean reported that some elementary teachers were inconsistently implementing differentiated instruction (DI) in their practice. Based on the identified problem, it was unclear which specific strategies of DI were causing teachers to experience barriers or challenges during the process of implementation. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teacher perceptions in one district about their implementation of the conceptual framework, Weimer’s learner-centered teaching theory DI model, in their classroom instruction. Data from schools in one elementary school district in the Beach School District were collected through virtual interviews with 15 teacher participants who had 5 to 10 years of teaching experience for Grades 5 to 6. Data were analyzed with open coding using the RADaR model of analysis. Results indicated that, when teachers use limited and repetitive DI strategies, their use of the DI model in their practice is inconsistent. In addition, teachers indicated they would benefit from some additional training on alternative DI strategies as well as how to effectively differentiate their instruction consistently. The results of this research may contribute to positive social change by providing classroom teachers with additional resources and training to improve the implementation of DI in the classroom and enhance the learning experiences of students.
Abstract: Administration and ministers of elementary schools located in the target district in the Caribbean reported that some elementary teachers were inconsistently implementing differentiated instruction (DI) in their practice. Based on the identified problem, it was unclear which specific strategies of DI were causing teachers to experience barriers or ...
Show More
-
Educators’ Adversity Quotient: Rising Above Challenges in the Time of Pandemic
Zephora Ann Ngujo Pino,
Jewish Araneta Merin
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 4, July 2021
Pages:
119-125
Received:
7 May 2021
Accepted:
1 June 2021
Published:
6 July 2021
Abstract: Being one of the greatly affected sectors in this global crisis, educators hold multiple challenges on top of their responsibilities. Their ability to surmount these adversities and unprecedented challenges – defined as Adversity Quotient, play a vital role especially in this time of pandemic. This study aimed to determine the adversity quotient (AQ) of the educators through descriptive methodology. The control, ownership, reach and endurance (CORE) are the dimensions that measured the level of AQ. Data were collected using the Adversity Response Profile (ARP) questionnaire that measures an individual’s ability to respond when confronted with challenges or adversities, and interview guide questions that determine the perceived challenges. The results revealed that in general, educators have moderate AQ. Moreover, there are two perceived challenges that the educators encountered: distance learning and dealing with the stakeholders. Thus, these challenges made the educators more vulnerable in the time of pandemic. Although educators learn how to bear up against difficulties, it is still imperative to know and address one’s adversity quotient. A webinar on Understanding One’s AQ: Accepting Challenges and Rising above it, is relevant and deemed helpful in addressing the needs of the educators.
Abstract: Being one of the greatly affected sectors in this global crisis, educators hold multiple challenges on top of their responsibilities. Their ability to surmount these adversities and unprecedented challenges – defined as Adversity Quotient, play a vital role especially in this time of pandemic. This study aimed to determine the adversity quotient (A...
Show More
-
Pre-Service Teachers’ Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge of Rational Numbers in E. P. College of Education, Bimbilla, Ghana
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 4, July 2021
Pages:
126-137
Received:
26 May 2021
Accepted:
16 June 2021
Published:
16 July 2021
Abstract: This study investigated Pre-Service Teachers’ mastery level, achievements differences, and correlation of their procedural knowledge and conceptual knowledge of rational numbers. The population of the study was four hundred and twenty-nine (429) level 100 Pre-Service Teachers of Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education, Bimbilla. Descriptive research design was used, where both convenient and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select a sample of 75. Out of the sample, 11 were females and 64 males representing 14.67% and 85.33% respectively. The instrument used was test items on conceptual and procedural knowledge on rational numbers designed by the researcher. The researcher used descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the quantitative data, so as to answer the four research questions. The findings of the study indicated that the Pre-Service Teachers’ conceptual knowledge and procedural knowledge mastery levels were at average-low and high–average levels respectively. Also, there was a significant difference between conceptual and procedural knowledge in rational numbers in favor of procedural knowledge with very high effect size. There was a weak positive correlation and no significant relationship between the Pre-Service Teachers’ conceptual knowledge and procedural knowledge in rational numbers. The study recommended that College Tutors should be encouraged to adopt teaching methods and strategies that focus more on conceptual knowledge in rational numbers. Also, College Tutors evaluation exercises or assessment items should be balanced between conceptual knowledge and procedural knowledge because at the moment most assessment items are based on procedural knowledge to the neglect of conceptual knowledge assessment.
Abstract: This study investigated Pre-Service Teachers’ mastery level, achievements differences, and correlation of their procedural knowledge and conceptual knowledge of rational numbers. The population of the study was four hundred and twenty-nine (429) level 100 Pre-Service Teachers of Evangelical Presbyterian College of Education, Bimbilla. Descriptive r...
Show More
-
The Development, Validation and Implementation of a Professional Disposition Instrument for Educator Preparation Programs
Kevin Mason,
Christine Peterson,
Debbie Stanislawski,
Diane Klemme,
Ann Oberding,
Allison Feller
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 4, July 2021
Pages:
138-146
Received:
22 June 2021
Accepted:
13 July 2021
Published:
19 July 2021
Abstract: The identification and measurement of professional dispositions is widely recognized as an important component of any assessment system in educator preparation programs for pre-service teachers and other school professionals. Professional dispositions are the shared attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors that are expected from and demonstrated by educational professionals in a variety of different settings through their interactions with others. Teacher educators in the School of Education at a midsize public midwestern university recently developed and validated an instrument to measure the professional dispositions of candidates both on campus and during clinical field experiences. The process included identifying the purpose, forming a committee, researching the literature, developing the instrument, validating the instrument, and forming an implementation plan. The professional disposition instrument was developed by a committee of seven faculty and staff in the School of Education representing seven different undergraduate and graduate educator programs. The professional disposition instrument was validated by conducting a survey of the Program Advisory Committees serving as a panel of external stakeholders and educational experts. The survey respondents rated each dispositional item as essential, useful but not essential, or not necessary. A Content Validity Ratio (CVR) was calculated for each professional disposition item based on the survey results. This article describes the development, validation, and planned implementation of the new professional disposition instrument, including a discussion of the benefits and challenges of the process.
Abstract: The identification and measurement of professional dispositions is widely recognized as an important component of any assessment system in educator preparation programs for pre-service teachers and other school professionals. Professional dispositions are the shared attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors that are expected from and demonstrated b...
Show More
-
Reflexivity in Leadership Coaching at a B-school in India
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 4, July 2021
Pages:
147-153
Received:
27 June 2021
Accepted:
19 July 2021
Published:
29 July 2021
Abstract: The paper argues that India is no more just a jugaroo nation because of its growth trajectory among the lower middle-income economies. Innovation in India has begun to track above the average of the upper middle-income nations in all innovation indicators. India’s demographic profile of a young population needs to take advantage of this growth by using all the opportunities that the 21st. century has to offer. One such innovation in education is what the paper demonstrates as a doable model of leadership coaching. The author takes into account the significance of conventional leadership coaching and blends it with contemporary psychodynamic theory and organization-development practice. If one purpose of leader coaching is to build personalities beyond normal limitations, then education and training will have to provide non-threatening methods by which embedded dynamics in the inner theater of human personality can be explored. The case-study provides evidence of this education and exploration, drawing on Kolb’s experiential learning model, and offers an advanced leadership training course which unfolds over four modules, in an eight-year experience at a premier b-school in India. Young women and men in the final year of the MBA course become mindful and sensitive of their own influences and assumptions, and develop the ability to connect the internal psychodynamic world with societal and global processes that influence transferences and counter-transferences for effective decision-making as they get ready to take up leadership positions in various organizations. Business-case reviews about the decline and demise of enterprise bring home the dysfunctionalities of toxicity in individuals which, remaining unresolved, spreads to groups and organizations. Film-based discussions on neuro-psychology and neuro-elasticity demonstrate how the human brain messages changed responses to situations of toxicity-induced threats by releasing new and proactive leadership behaviors. Even if 10% of a Class carry forward the learning from this innovative paradigm of leadership coaching into day-to-day decision making, the original idea of young men and women who are aware of their own influences and assumptions in leadership positions will begin to snowball.
Abstract: The paper argues that India is no more just a jugaroo nation because of its growth trajectory among the lower middle-income economies. Innovation in India has begun to track above the average of the upper middle-income nations in all innovation indicators. India’s demographic profile of a young population needs to take advantage of this growth by u...
Show More
-
The Coloured Voice: Finding Its Place in South African Poetry
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 4, July 2021
Pages:
154-159
Received:
29 June 2021
Accepted:
24 July 2021
Published:
29 July 2021
Abstract: South African poetry has found its place in many parts of the world. Topics such as racism, discrimination and issues resulting from the past of South Africa, have all found themselves in South African literary journals and anthologies. One of the achievements of the South African poet has been finding a place for the disadvantaged group/s of South Africa, the group/s that have suffered through the past and present South Africa. However, through all the major South African journals and literary collections, the voice and life of the Coloured individual has been left out and overlooked. More importantly, this has resulted in the Coloured individuals of South Africa not knowing their place in the poetry world. More specifically, because they are not reading about their cultural power in poetry, they tend to believe that poetry is not for the Coloured culture and language. In this paper I intend to show that there has been a lack of place in poetry for the Coloured individual, and furthermore, to show that there is a place for the Coloured story and culture in poetry. As a result, what will be shown is the effect that the Coloured voice will have on South African poetry, and how it will benefit a large portion of the South African population.
Abstract: South African poetry has found its place in many parts of the world. Topics such as racism, discrimination and issues resulting from the past of South Africa, have all found themselves in South African literary journals and anthologies. One of the achievements of the South African poet has been finding a place for the disadvantaged group/s of South...
Show More
-
Effectiveness of Retirement Adjustment Scale Among Retired Teachers from Southwestern Nigeria
Emily Oluseyi Adeyemo,
Onijuni Olufemi Olatomide
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 4, July 2021
Pages:
160-165
Received:
27 May 2021
Accepted:
10 June 2021
Published:
18 August 2021
Abstract: Retirement is seen as partial or complete disengagement from work activities with which individuals have been identified, due to personal or organizational factors, whether or not retirement benefits would accompany it. Being a significant phase of transition into human life, the phase offers unique opportunities for researchers to investigate adaptation and coping over the period, because it is reputed for considerable daily life changes that impacts retirees’ psychological health. The study explored the practical workability of measuring retirement adjustment intended for Retirement Adjustment Scale (RAS) among teachers who retired from primary and secondary schools in Ekiti and Osun States of the Southwestern Nigeria. It also investigated the effectiveness or otherwise of RAS among the respondents based on their demographics such as gender, educational attainment and institution of service before transition into retirement. The research design adopted was survey. The population comprised all retired teachers from primary and secondary schools in Ekiti and Osun States of Southwestern Nigeria. The sample size (n = 650) was selected through a multi-stage sampling, 650 copies of questionnaire were administered. The results revealed that the level of effectiveness of RAS in measuring the retirement adjustment of retiree was moderately high. There was no statistically significant effect on retirees’ sex (χ2 = 1.376, p > 0.05) and type of family (χ2 = 2.046, p > 0.05) whereas there was a significant effect on retirees’ educational attainment (χ2 = 22.823, p < 0.05) and institution of service before retirement (χ2 = 37.974, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the effectiveness of RAS in measuring the retirement adjustment of the retired teachers on the basis of sex (t = 1.593, p > 0.05). It could be concluded that RAS is effective in measuring the retirement adjustment of teacher-retirees from both primary and secondary schools on the most important variables of sex while variation may exist in the matter of their educational attainment and institution of service prior to retirement.
Abstract: Retirement is seen as partial or complete disengagement from work activities with which individuals have been identified, due to personal or organizational factors, whether or not retirement benefits would accompany it. Being a significant phase of transition into human life, the phase offers unique opportunities for researchers to investigate adap...
Show More
