THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT OF A FAR-FLUNG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL: STAKEHOLDERS’ PERSPECTIVE

This study explored the learning environment of a rural public national high school in the Municipality of Don Marcelino, Province of Davao Occidental using a qualitative phenomenological research design. Forty (40) purposively selected participants from the different stakeholders like the students, teachers, parents, and members of the Local Government Unit, and only one (1) participant for the school head underwent an In-Depth Interview and Focused Group Discussion using a semi-structured interview guide/protocol. Data collected were analyzed with the data reduction approach, Thematic Analysis, and Patton's directions. Results revealed the following emergent themes on the learning environment of a far-flung school: Improving school setting amenable to learning; Inadequate proficient teaching force; Insufficient instructional technology; Deficient classroom facilities; and distinctly average academic outcomes. More so, stakeholders addressed challenges through Self-motivation and academic resourcefulness; Aiming high with Faith in the Divine; creating a positive learning atmosphere through Homerooms and Home Visits; Using best pedagogies to motivate learners; Collaborating with stakeholders and getting parents involved; and Coordinating school, community, and LGU. Shared insights of the stakeholders were: Addressed the pandemic challenges; Showed academic value despite modular learning difficulty; Improved teachers' proficiency and classroom scaffolding; Kept learning support mechanism; Sustained parents' support for learners; and Unified medium of instruction. The implications of the study were presented.  Article visualizations

MULTISENSORY PERCEPTION AND MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION IN PRIMARY EDUCATION. EXPLORING THE AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE AND WAYS OF COMMUNICATION THE ‘BOX OF SENSES’

This study investigates the ways that children feel free to express themselves and communicate with others through their aesthetic development. Multisensory perception helps children to discover their senses and multimodal expression gives them ways and tools to communicate their emotions and ideas, in the way that they want or that they are able to. ‘Box of Senses’ is a collection of objects that each child makes on its own and through it, it has the opportunity to communicate the way he feels the world, within the community to which he belongs. Objects of everyday life reveal that sensory perception can recall memories, ideas, and emotions. But how do our senses interact with linguistic communication? What color is a word and what does a picture taste like? How do the image and writing work are combined together to describe the senses and ultimately communicate one’s experience? Can all these distinct fragments of our everyday sensory experience be narrated by a haiku poem?  Article visualizations

EXPLORING TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF TEACHING LEARNERS WITH ADHD IN SELECTED INCLUSIVE PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which causes functional impairment. The study explored teachers’ understanding of teaching learners with ADHD in Zambian inclusive primary schools. A descriptive design supported by qualitative approaches was used. The sample size involved 18 teachers of learners with ADHD, 9 learners with ADHD, 3 administrators, and 4 officials from the Ministry of Education. Homogeneous purposive sampling was used to select participants. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and observation checklists. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic and content analysis. The study revealed mixed views on teachers’ understanding of teaching learners with ADHD. Some teachers indicated that they adequately understood learners with ADHD due to sufficient knowledge to deal with learners, adequate training to deal with learners able to apply appropriate teaching methods, strategies, and techniques for learners, adequate exposure to handling learners, self-motivation to teach learners and ability to control the behaviours of the learners with ADHD. On the other hand, teacher participants indicated that they had limited understanding due to inadequate training in Special Education, teachers' inability to handle learners, insufficient use of appropriate teaching methods, strategies, and techniques for learners with ADHD, and their inability to control learners with ADHD. To address the challenges faced by teachers while teaching learners with ADHD, teachers employed strategies such as catch-up strategies, social and emotional support strategies, professional development strategies, and punishment strategies. The study recommends, upgrading teachers understanding and strategies to use in teaching learners with ADHD through teacher training; and capacity building in the form of CPD in schools.  Article visualizations

FACTORS ARISING FROM THE UTILIZATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

This literature review aims to create a connection between Special Education and Training (SET) with Artificial Intelligence (ΑΙ), specifically focusing on machine learning language models. These systems analyze language structures and rapidly generate text that closely resembles human expression. While AI tools have been present since the last century, global technological and research interest in AI experienced resurgence in November 2022 with the release of ChatGPT, a machine learning language model –“chatbot”. The introduction of this tool raised expectations for its potential in educating individuals with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SENDs). However, the literature also highlights concerns about potential risks and challenges associated with the widespread use of such tools in education. This paper explores the intersection of Special Education and Training goals and Large Language Models (LLM), presenting in the results the potential benefits and risks that may emerge from this interaction.  Article visualizations

PERCEIVED STRATEGIC ENTREPRENEURIAL PLANNING AND OPPORTUNITY RECOGNITION SKILLS NEEDED TO COMBAT YOUTH RESTIVENESS IN NORTH-WEST, NIGERIA

The study was conducted to ascertain the perceived strategic entrepreneurial planning and opportunity recognition skills needed to combat youth restiveness in North-West, Nigeria. It was guided by two specific purposes, two research questions and two null hypotheses. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consist of three hundred twenty-four (324) Business Education lecturers in eleven (11) tertiary institutions in North-West Nigeria. The sample size of the study comprised 179 Business Educators (123 males and 56 females). A proportionate sampling technique was used to apportion the sample size to each of the institutions under study. A 4-point rating scale questionnaire titled “Strategic Entrepreneurial Skills Rating Scale” (SESRS) developed by the researcher was used as an instrument for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts and further tested for reliability using the Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient test. The result showed an overall reliability coefficient of 0.85. Data was analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and a t-test to test the research hypotheses at 0.05 Alpha level of significance. The findings revealed that the respondents strongly agreed to planning and opportunity recognition as strategic entrepreneurial skills needed to combat youth restiveness. In addition, there is no significant difference in the mean score of male and female Business Educators on planning skills needed as entrepreneurial strategy; no significant difference in the mean score of Business Educators in urban and rural on strategic entrepreneurial opportunity recognition skills. It was recommended among others that agencies and persons concerned with planning curricula for entrepreneurship education and training should incorporate the teaching and learning of strategic planning and opportunities recognition in the curriculum.  Article visualizations

NAMIBIAN TEACHERS’ MULTIDIMENSIONAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN INCLUSIVE SETTINGS

The success or failure of inclusive educational practices is significantly influenced by teachers’ attitudes towards teaching students with special educational needs (SEN). This research explores the multidimensional attitudes of teachers in Namibia towards teaching students with SEN in inclusive educational settings. We explored teachers’ multidimensional attitudes and how teachers’ cognitive and affective dimensions of attitude influence their behavioural stance regarding teaching students with SEN. The study is grounded in the theory of planned behaviour. Data were collected from 300 teachers in the Omusati, Oshana, Kunene, and Khomas educational regions of Namibia through a self-administered electronic questionnaire. Data were descriptively and inferentially analysed using Jamovi Statistical Software Version 2.3.18.0 and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences IBM Amos. The inferential analysis involved exploratory factor analysis, extracting three attitude components: cognitive, behavioural, and affective, comprising 10 items. The structural equation modelling analyses included confirmatory factor analysis to validate the measurement model and multiple regression analysis to confirm the structural model’s fitness with latent variables. The results revealed that cognitive attitude attained the highest overall mean score, followed by behavioural attitude and affective attitude. This suggests that although participants hold positive beliefs, ideas, and perceptions and are willing to teach SEN in inclusive settings, they displayed moderate emotions towards the practice. Furthermore, the findings indicated that teachers' cognitive attitude has a significantly positive influence on their behavioural attitude, whereas affective attitude was statistically insignificant, implying a negative influence. These findings bear significant relevance to education ministries, curriculum developers, education practitioners, teacher training institutions, and policymakers. They underscore the importance of considering teachers’ multidimensional attitudes in formulating and implementing inclusive education policies. Additionally, the results offer valuable insights for teachers, elucidating the impact of their cognitive and affective attitudes on their behavioural attitude towards teaching students with SEN in inclusive settings.  Article visualizations

LEXICAL COLLOCATIONS OF KEYWORDS USED IN BUSINESS NEWS: A CORPUS-BASED STUDY

This corpus-based study aims to facilitate the instruction of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and benefit Thai undergraduate students majoring in Business English by investigating lexical collocations found in business news. A corpus of business news (COBN) was compiled, containing 678,373 running words sourced from 755 online business news. Employing AntConc version 3.5.9, the first 120 keywords were identified in accordance with the set criteria, with the majority being nouns (82.5%), followed by adjectives (12.5%), and verbs (5%). These keywords served as "nodes" to identify their "collocates," resulting in 330 pairs of lexical collocations with 5 combination types. Following a framework adapted from Benson, Benson, and Ilson, prominent combinations included Noun + Noun (54.02%), Adjective + Noun (26.86%), Noun + Verb (13.69%), Verb + Noun (4.47%), and Verb + Adverb (0.89%). The pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research were also discussed.  Article visualizations

EXPERIENCES OF COACH-ATHLETE RELATIONSHIP: A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST, GHANA

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of the coach-athlete relationship in University of Cape Coast sports teams. The researcher employed the interpersonal constructs of closeness, co-orientation, and complementarity (3Cs model) to explore participants’ feelings, thoughts, and behaviour respectively. Method: Qualitative data was obtained through semi-structured interviews, from 8 participants and their responses were content analyzed. Results: Analysis revealed that closeness (as defined in terms of intimacy, trust, respect, appreciation, and promising), co-orientation (termed as communication, self-disclosure, common goal, and general understanding), and lastly, complementarity (defined as roles, emotional support, academic support and financial support) have helped to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of the coach-athlete relationship among University of Cape Coast sports teams. Conclusion: It was concluded that participants showed a high level of closeness, co-orientation, and complementarity in their relationship.  Article visualizations

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOROCCAN CPGE STUDENTS MOTIVATION AND CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking is gaining momentum in the digital era, particularly with the propagation of social media. Improving students' cognitive abilities is not just meant to have easy access to the job market, but to be equipped in the time of misinformation and fake news. However, effective enhancement of this cognitive skill in students requires motivation as an important ingredient; without motivation for critical thinking learning, teachers will fail in their attempts to improve their students' thinking skills. This article is an empirical study on the importance of motivation for critical thinking for CPGE students and its relationship with the students' levels of critical thinking. 120 CPGE students, both male and female, were involved in this study. As the study is experimental, the students were divided into two groups: experimental and control groups. The results of the data analysis revealed that the treatment groups outscored the control group students in the motivation for critical thinking learning; the data also showed a positive correlation between the treatment group's motivation for critical thinking and their level of critical thinking.  Article visualizations

CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT PRACTICES AND STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA

This study investigated the impact of assessment methods used in internal evaluation on students’ achievement in English grammar in secondary schools in Kenya. This study was anchored on Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. A pragmatic paradigm was adopted using exploratory sequential mixed methods. A quasi-experimental, pre-test, and post-test design was adopted. The target population comprised of all the form two students and teachers of English in Teso North Sub-County. Stratified and simple random sampling was used to select 10 schools. Simple random sampling was used to select 509 students. Purposive and simple random were used to select 10 teachers. Data was generated using an interview schedule, observation schedule, questionnaire, and English Grammar Achievement Tests. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analyzed using the narrative analysis technique and presented through narration and direct quotes. Findings revealed that grammar was predominantly assessed through gap-filling as well as question and answer method. Assessing grammar through cloze test and composition writing had a more positive influence (M = 16.02; SD = 3.51) than where it was not used (M = 14.12; SD = 3.33). Pearson Correlation revealed that assessment had a statistically significant relationship of r = .643, n = 509, p = .006 with students’ achievement in English grammar. The study concluded that cloze tests and composition writing are effective methods of assessing English grammar. It was recommended that the Ministry of Education should in-service teachers on the importance of assessing English grammar through these methods. This study recommends that teachers should assess English grammar using cloze tests and composition writing.  Article visualizations