Contextualizing the Algorithm of Assessing Students’ Learning Vis-à-vis Teachers’ Adherence to Assessment Protocols

This paper aimed to contextualize the algorithm of assessing students’ learning in consonance with the adherence of selected teachers of higher education institutions in the Philippines to Assessment Protocols. The research problems addressed to in this investigation were to appraise the teachers’ adherence  to the protocols of assessment techniques in assessing students’ learning through objective test items, namely true-false type, Matching  type, Multiple Choice Format, and multiple Response; (a.2) subjective test items: essay tests and short-response items;  (a.3) alternative forms of assessment, specifically the problem solving test format, and performance assessment; through presentations, oral defense, dialogues, and audio-visual demonstrations utilized by teachers and (a.4) portfolio assessment that are more focused on the process, product, and showcasing of students’ outputs.The research work also delved into which among the assessment schemes are most adhered to by teachers to assess students’ learning, and in what areas of the current approach to assessment and evaluation to appraise student progress do teachers need essential information. Adherence of teachers to assessment protocol is very high, this is very commendable, most specifically on the use of objective test formats, multiple choice format, true-false tests, and multiple responses, among others.Teachers’ adherence to the subjective test formats such as the use of problem solving test and performance assessment, is also very high. The portfolio assessment measured through Process (journals, reflections, independent work, teacher and self-evaluations), Product (short, more accessible documents at mastery level), and Showcase (documentation, mementos of their favorite learning activities, creative investigation), were the least adhered to by the selected teachers of higher education institutions in the Philippines.Results of this research investigation showed that teachers have a very good content knowledge of the algorithms in designing test items; most specifically in designing traditional objective and subjective testing. To enhance the proficiency of teachers on the construction of more learner-centered  test items; enhanced use of more innovative algorithms of test construction  be observed to be more reflective  of  the course learning outcomes, learners’ perspectives, the diversity of the learning environment and the appropriateness of the assessment schemes to the specific fields of discipline. Keywords:  Adherence to  assessment protocols, objective test formats, subjective test formats, alternative test formats, portfolio assessment

Adjudging the Teacher Perceived Authentic Leadership, Leader- Member Exchange (LMX) Model of Management and Managerial Competence of Educational Leaders

Teacher -perceived Authentic Leadership Dexterity, Leader-Member (LMX) Management Skills and Managerial Competence of Educational Leaders in Region VI, Western Visayas, Philippines are empirically adjudged in this research work. Authentic Leadership Dexterity was investigated in terms of the authentic standards of Insight, Influence, Initiative, Impact and Integrity, the Leader-member (LMX) Management Skills in terms of Role Making, Role Taking and Routinization management aspects; and the Managerial Competence of Educational Leaders in terms of Planning, Organizing, Communicating, Controlling and Directing management functions. Significant correlations between and among the Authentic Leadership Dexterity, Leader-member (LMX) Management Skills and Managerial Competence of the Educational Leaders as perceived by the Teacher-respondents were statistically determined.The hypothesis presented was that there are no significant correlations between and among the Authentic Leadership Dexterity, Leader-member (LMX) Management Skills and Managerial Competence of the Educational Leaders. Descriptive method of research was used in this study, the data gathering tools employed were sets of questionnaires on Authentic Leadership, the Leader-member (LMX) Management Skills, and Managerial Competence. Detailed methodological instructions were embedded in the research instrument. Mean was used with its corresponding verbal interpretations for research questions 1,2, and 3, while Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was computed as the data-analysis instrument to determine the significance of the correlation between the paired variables, and processed through the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS).Authentic Leadership of Educational Leaders, as well as their Managerial Competence, were rated as very good while their management skill based on the Leader-member (LMX) model was excellent, most specifically on Role-taking and Role making, with a significant correlation between and among manifestations of Authentic Leadership, Managerial Competence and the Leader-member (LMX) Model Management Skill   of educational leaders.In conclusion, the results of this research investigation implied that the teacher perceived Authentic Leadership in terms of Insight, Influence, Initiative, Impact and Integrity, significantly correlate with their managerial skills on Planning, Communicating, Directing and Organizing, have a high positive correlation with   their excellent management skills on Role-taking, Role making and Routinization. Moreover, based on the empirical data correlating the various managerial functions for  future researchers to  investigate the skills of educational leaders utilizing the LMX scale since as posited by experts, it can assess the degree of leaders and followers’ mutual respect for each other’s capabilities, involving subordinates in brainstorming and decision making activities, require a research agenda from every department that will look into collective constituents’ efficacy, teacher-student relationships, re-routing frame of reference in  designing pro-active successful planning with due consideration to routinization of activities; consistent monitoring of human resource activities to strengthen the trust, confidence and persistence among in-group team members, and providing innovative mentoring schemes to support teachers who are  deployed in their areas of assignments .      The themes correlating managerial competency and authentic leadership performance, educational management and innovation, comparing competencies in high performing and low performing institutions of learning, and competency profile of educational leaders, could be some of the research strands on leadership and management for future research undertakings. Keywords: Educational Leaders, Teacher Perceived Authentic Leadership, Leader-member (LMX) Management Skills, Managerial Competence DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-12-04 Publication date: April 30th 201

Correlating Executive Performance, Managerial Competence and Motivational Skills of Mentors with Administrative Functions in Diverse Academic Programs of Institutions of Learning in Western Visayas, Philippines

This research undertaking aimed to correlate the Executive Performance, Managerial Competence and Motivational Skills of Mentors with Administrative Functions deployed in diverse academic programs at the   Institutions of Learning in Western Visayas, Philippines, in terms of Controlling, Planning, Organizing, and Directing management functions. It further intended to determine how these independent variables are correlated when Mentors with Administrative Functions create plans, organize their areas of responsibility, control and direct manpower and material resources to help their institutions achieve quality, and implement in full, the mandates of both the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in the Philippines.Descriptive method of research was used in this study, the data gathering research tool employed were sets of questionnaires on Executive Performance, Managerial competence and Motivational skills, in which detailed methodological instructions were embedded in the research instrument. Mean was used with its corresponding verbal interpretations, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was first computed, and the value was used into the formula for the T-test to determine the correlation between and among the independent variables. The computation of the test statistics, and the data-analysis instrument utilized the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS).The results of the study showed that the Executive Performance of Mentors with Administrative Functions deployed in diverse academic programs in the Institutions of Learning in terms of Controlling, Planning, Organizing, and Directing management functions was very good, but they were excellent specifically, both in Planning and Controlling; the  Managerial Competence was rated excellent on Planning only, but over-all, the Mentors were very good in their Managerial Competence; and their Motivational Skills, were rated very good, with an excellent rating on Capability.There was a significant correlation between and among Executive Performance, Managerial Competence and Motivational Skills of Mentors; such results imply that the higher the Executive Performance of mentors, the higher is their Managerial Competence, the higher their Managerial Competence, there is also a positive influence on their Motivational Skills.In an over-all context, the Executive Performance, Managerial Competence and Motivational Skills of Mentors with Administrative Functions deployed in diverse academic programs in the Institutions of Learning is very commendable, thus conclusively, it is a must for Mentors with Administrative Functions, who are tasked to supervise teachers, to possess Executive Skills, Managerial Competence and Motivational Skills in carrying out their executive functions. The absence of these skills may negatively influence the quality of their leadership and managerial performance and may lead to ineffective carrying out of their administrative functions. Top management echelon is expected to design comprehensive staff training to be embedded in their strategic succession plans to enhance the climate of excellence in the administration and management of academic programs among Institutions of Learning in Western Visayas, Philippines.The implications of the findings, recommending some research directions for researchers and practioners are provided; leaders with academic/ administrative functions or anyone in supervisory positions, are provided with empirical data on varied managerial functions that are associated with interactions on Executive Performance,Managerial Competence and Motivational Skills of Mentors; manifestations of increasing productivity, employee satisfaction and contentment of the constituents through the examples set by leaders, and mentors.Consequently, information are  made available to other researchers on assessing the competencies of mentors who can empower employees to take ownership of the activities and projects of their organization, create an energetic and highly motivated workplace, including studies that will lead towards measuring rewards and incentives for outstanding performance, because skilled and competent managers who can strongly motivate their employees are true assets to an organization/company, hence some recommendations are presented. Keywords: Executive Performance, Managerial Competence, Motivational Skills, Mentors with Administrative Function

Articulating Negotiation Skills: Its Prevalence and Correlates

This paper aimed to articulate the negotiation skills of stakeholders in various business organizations in the United Arab Emirates, and its possible correlation with the stakeholders’ nationality, types of work sector, principal business interest, age, and gender. Descriptive- quantitative method was utilized in this study and analysis of the data gathered was processed through the use of a statistical software. Results of the research work showed that collaborating was the most prevalent negotiating skills engaged by stakeholders in the various business establishments in the United Arab Emirates. It was further found out that there was no significant correlation between the prevalent negotiating skills of stakeholders when dichotomized according to age, gender, nature of work, length of work experience and principal industry they were involved in but there was a significant correlation between the prevalent type of negotiating skills used by stakeholders with  the  work sectors; implying that their being employed in the government, private or semi-private agencies significantly influence their negotiating skill. Conclusively, various organizations can utilize the information gathered from this investigation to enhance the type of negotiation skills utilized by stakeholders that are expected to achieve the goals of various establishments and may strengthen sustainability and profitability outcomes to the majority of the business organizations in the United Arab Emirates. Keywords: Competing, avoiding, collaborating, accommodating, compromising negotiation skills

Adeptness in Conflict Management of Expatriates deployed in Government, Semi-Government and Private Service Operations in the United Arab Emirates

The purpose of this research investigation is to verbalize the conflict management of expatriates deployed in service operations in government, semi-government and private organizations in UAE, their maturity level, length of work experience, type of industry, location of workplace: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Um Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Sharjah; and the length of business operation of the company.     The research design employed was descriptive- correlational, and generally quantitative, as this investigation used post-positivist claims for developing knowledge to test the hypotheses formulated. Data were collected from the group of expatriates who were working in different emirates in UAE, and were deployed in service operations. A questionnaire -survey form was the data collection method utilized with subparts on indicators and respondents’ profiles and comprised of closed-ended questions gleaned from readings and other learning resources. The items were subjected to validity and reliability testing techniques, its validity index established, and the reliability index was generated using the Cronbach Alpha. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) based on the specific research objectives was used to analyze the data gathered. Findings of the study showed that the conflict management skills of expats deployed in the service operations of government, semi-government and private organizations in UAE were High. Expatriates in service operations in the United Arab Emirates have the very high emotional maturity, high in communication skills, and creativity in problem-solving but only have Moderate skill in empathy. Moreover, results showed that the conflict management skills of the expats are significantly influenced by their maturity level, length of work experience and length of service operations of the organizations where the expatriates were employed but the locations of the workplace where the expats were assigned to, do not significantly influence their conflict management skills as expressed in their communication skills, empathy, maturity and creative problem-solving skills. The purpose of this research investigation is to verbalize the conflict management of expatriates deployed in service operations in government, semi-government and private organizations in UAE, their maturity level, length of work experience, type of industry, location of work place, and the length of business operation of the company. Keywords: Adeptness, Conflict Management, Communication Skills, Emotional Maturity, Empathy, Creative Problem Solvin

Measuring Market Valuation of Amman Stock Exchange Industrial Sectors: Tobin’s Q Ratio as Investors’ Market Performance Indicator

This research investigation purported to present the market valuation of Amman Stock Exchange Industrial Sectors utilizing the Tobin’s Q ratio to serve as performance indicator among Jordanian industrial firms. The most specific research objectives addressed in this research work were to evaluate the Amman Stock Exchange Industry market performance, present the trend in Q ratio valuation during the study period, and to recommend some guiding principles to enrich investors in making the right investment decisions. The research paper is anchored on the concepts of Chung and Pruitt (1994) who have developed a simple approximation of Tobin’s q. For the methodology, the researchers made use of the 49 sample companies from all industrial public traded company sectors listed in the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) clustered based on the Amman Stock Exchange classification as published in their publications inclusive of 2008-2015. The sectors included the Pharmaceutical & Medical Industries, Chemical Industries, Paper & Cartoon Industries, Food & Beverage, Tobacco & Cigarettes, Mining & Extraction Industries, Engineering & Construction, Electrical Industries, Textile, and Leather & Clothing......

Aligning Quality Indicators of Management Practices vis-a vis the Criteria of Performance Excellence Among Non-Accredited Recoletos Schools in the Philippines

This research undertaking assessed the Management Practices of   Non-accredited Recoletos Schools in the Philippines, to generate information on the management practices and administrative support to various areas concern based on the criteria of performance excellence as cited in the PAASCU standards.Quantitative methods of assessments were utilized, including the evaluation of relevant policies and procedures from the Recoletos Educational Apostolate in the Philippines (REAP) manuals and other documents from the schools under study.School administrators of non-accredited basic education schools, must seek pathways for its programs to seek  or reaffirm  accreditation; complete their self-study report which will give them an appraisal of their internal review and examination of their  organization’s mission, educational objectives and performance with respect to the standards established by the accrediting body, to be assured of attaining the learning outcomes of subjects offered in the curriculum towards the achievement of the Recoletos Educational Apostolate in the Philippines as cited in the REAP documents.The appraisal of the various areas is only generally good, a strong call to align quality indicators of management practices based on the criteria of performance excellence from accrediting agencies in the Philippines because excellent performance which are required by the millennial environments for all academic institutions of learning in the Philippines.Consequently, because of the full implementation of the K-12 mandate, the school administrators are challenged to seek pathways for its programs and reaffirm accreditation. Moreover, it is recommended that REAP, through its religious and lay administrators, must seriously design proactive monitoring schemes for its annual strategic plans, and vigorously harness intervention strategies towards the attainment of Key Performance Indicators for each of the sections that were evaluated. Keywords: Non-accredited Recoletos Schools, PAASCU, REAP, Philosophy and Objectives, Faculty Qualification, Instructional Facilities, Administrative Performance, School and Community Involvemen

Employee Engagement and Commitment, Communication Skills and Talent Management Competencies of Tourism Professionals

In this research undertaking, results of the research findings about the Employee Engagement and Commitment, Communication Skills and Talent Management Competencies of Tourism Professionals in Cairo, Egypt are presented regarding its extent, how commendable are their communication skills, and the extent of their Talent Management Competencies (TMC), and further looked into whether or not there are significant correlations between and among the independent variables. The tourism professionals who were the respondents of the study comprised of the Travel Agents, Academic Professionals, Hotel Managers, Tour Operators, Event & Conference Organizers, Tour Guides, Executive Chefs, and PR Managers in Cairo, Egypt. The research method used in this research undertaking is descriptive correlational; a  questionnaire was used as a data collection method which was distributed to tourism professionals, and utilizing the SPSS statistical software with the Mean to determine the extent, to determine the significance of correlation between and among the paired variables, Pearson r was used, to determine the significance of difference between the dependent and independent variables, Mann Whitney U Test and Kruskal-Wallis Test were used. The conduct of this research investigation is an important issue, and was considered by the researchers as very meaningful and important to explore internationally and specifically in Cairo, Egypt in particular, since the findings of this research study may lead to the introduction of new programs and curriculum for Tourism and hospitality industry, the encouragement of  professional staff  to enhance the purposes of work in tourism, the human resources potential management into companies, enabling continuous professional training and employees to advance in their careers and to create careers in the field of tourism and hospitality industry. Moreover, the results of this research endeavor will be very essential for tourism professionals considering Tourism’s contribution to global trade and economic growth, its contribution in promoting socioeconomic growth and development, sustainable tourism development, advancing tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction and development, promoting employment through fostering knowledge, education and capacity-building, and in creating synergies and partnership across tourism sectors. The result showed a great extent on the identified indicators, except  on Talent management competencies; the independent variables, when correlated, showed  that they do not influence each one’s extent, except between  Engagement and Commitment and  their Communication Skills; which may imply that the tourism professionals maybe more engaged and committed if they have commendable communication skills as they work in the tourism industry to accommodate their clients. On the other hand, no significant differences exist in the Tourism Professionals’ Engagement and Commitment (EC), Communication Skills and Talent Management Competencies (TMC) when categorized in terms of their educational qualification, marital status and sector where they are employed. Conclusively, results of this research undertaking will provide information and research data for  leaders and managers, human resource managers and/or human resource specialists working in the human resources department of selected tourism industries, agencies, and organizations concerned to design programs and activities to increase interest in Tourism Labor and cope with the challenge of overcoming the uncertainties towards tourism  employment,  most specifically on socio-cultural issues, create a strong coordination with curriculum specialists  to embed  in their  tourism curriculum an emphasis of the possibilities of employment in the industry for young school-leavers, the working conditions, career opportunities, diversity, international exposure, remuneration, and other factors. For future research directions, the researchers recommend future researchers to look into the evaluation of professional management techniques that are used in the hospitality sectors with focus on  Hospitality and Customer Satisfaction, Tourism and Hospitality Marketing, Hospitality Management, Marketing and Service Quality Management, Foodservice Consumer Choice and Services Strategies, Strategic Management in the Hospitality Industry, Hospitality Marketing and Service Experience and Human Resource Management. Keywords: Tourism Professionals, Engagement, Commitment, Communication Skills, Talent Management Competencies DOI: 10.7176/JTHS/40-0

Adjudicating the Utilization of Metacognitive, Affective and Social Language Learning Strategies by Preservice Learners of Teacher Education Institutions in Western Visayas, Philippines

Language educators have claimed that the process of independent language learning is not just intellectual, but also social and emotional considering that language is an element of social behavior that are necessary  in communicating between people. Social strategies along with affective and metacognitive strategies may help learners to achieve more effective language learning and obtain a better understanding of different cultures, understand people’s feelings, attitudes, and motivation. As these indicators are considered essential in the nurturing of pre-service teachers who are college students involved in a school-based field experience, under the tutelage or supervision of cooperating teachers, and are gradually taking on more classroom management and instructional responsibilities, it is the aim of this research investigation to adjudge the utilization of   metacognitive, affective and social language learning strategies of the Preservice learners of selected teacher education institutions in Western Visayas. Specifically, this study purported to address the following questions (1). How is Language Learning Strategies utilized by Preservice learners in terms of the Metacognitive, Affective and Social dimensions? (2) Are there significant correlations in the utilization of Language Learning Strategies between and among its sub-dimensions?  The researchers have hypothesized that there are no significant correlations in the utilization of Language Learning Strategies when the sub-dimensions are paired with each other; as: Metacognitive with Affective, Metacognitive with Social, and Affective with Social Language Learning Strategy. To answer these queries, this research study had randomly chosen 349 Preservice learners from selected Teacher Education Institutions in Western Visayas as respondents of the study. The descriptive-quantitative and correlational research design was utilized by subjecting the data to Pearson Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation as the main data-analysis instrument. The data-gathering instrument which was used in this study contained the questionnaire instrument about Language Learning Strategies involving the three sub-dimensions namely Metacognitive, Affective and Social Language Learning Strategies. Furthermore, the data to determine the information required to respond to the specific problems in this research investigation were gathered by subjecting the identified respondent -Education students to a written examination. Based on the results of this research endeavour, it is concluded that Language Learning Strategies are used by Preservice learners to a High extent, in each of the sub-dimensions namely, Metacognitive, Affective and Social Language Learning Strategies but among the three dimensions, the metacognitive strategy is the most utilized by the Preservice learners. The research results likewise showed a significant correlation between and among the utilization of Metacognitive, Affective and Social Language Learning Strategies. Conclusively, Preservice teachers have used the three identified indirect Language Learning Strategies usually true more than half the time. Depending upon the teaching-learning environment, their use of the indirect language strategies manifest their adequate competence in syntax, mechanics, morphology and semantics, and a high retention of learning in terms of metacognitive and affective language learning strategies. The research results likewise showed a significant correlation between and among the utilization of Metacognitive, Affective and Social Language Learning Strategies. The research results likewise showed a significant correlation between and among the utilization of Metacognitive, Affective and Social Language Learning Strategies. These results imply and maybe interpreted to mean that the utilization of Metacognitive strategies that help learners to coordinate language learning, in encouraging learners to focus on certain language activities and skills, maximize their energy and effort, as well as monitor errors and evaluate their learning progress, may be significantly influenced or affected by the utilization of their affective strategies that deal with their  emotions, attitudes, motivation and values that have an impact on learners and language learning in an important way, including their anxiety management. Nonetheless, the use of the Metacognitive and Social strategies in language learning are interchangeably affected or correlated with their use of the Social strategies that empowered language learners in asking questions, cooperating and in empathizing with others. The researchers, being Language Teachers,  recommend to introduce  class activities for strategies on metacognitive, which can be used for explicit teaching, word games, readings, discussions either in online and offline  venues, or oral presentations, affective strategies that can use language focus with strategies on storytelling, show and tell, oral presentations, discussions (online and in-class), role-playing, online skyping, peer evaluations. For future research directions, the researchers further hope to encourage other Language Teachers to investigate on the language awareness of preservice learners, their proficiency in the use of  direct and indirect strategies  to develop their communicative competence, conduct similar comparative studies  between the less successful learners and achievers on the utilization of the different language learning strategies to determine which is a more effective language teaching strategy to enhance students’ learning. The researchers gratefully acknowledged  the cooperation and support of all the School Presidents, Vice Presidents for Academics, Deans, Faculty members and Staff of all the Teacher Education Institutions in Region VI, Western Visayas, Philippines in giving permission to allow the researchers to conduct this research investigation; the Preservice Learners of their respective Colleges/Schools of Education, for the latter’s unselfish gesture of sharing their time and effort  in answering the questionnaire.  Due respect and recognition are likewise extended to all the authors, educators, researchers and other renowned concept writers for their expertise, wisdom and contributions in the field of language teaching and learning, and their postulates about language learning strategies, and other second language learning theories and concepts. Keywords: Metacognitive, Affective, and Social Language Learning Strategies, Preservice learners DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-35-04 Publication date: December 31st 201

Complications and pitfalls of lumbar interlaminar and transforaminal epidural injections

Lumbar interlaminar and transforaminal epidural injections are used in the treatment of lumbar radicular pain and other lumbar spinal pain syndromes. Complications from these procedures arise from needle placement and the administration of medication. Potential risks include infection, hematoma, intravascular injection of medication, direct nerve trauma, subdural injection of medication, air embolism, disc entry, urinary retention, radiation exposure, and hypersensitivity reactions. The objective of this article is to review the complications of lumbar interlaminar and transforaminal epidural injections and discuss the potential pitfalls related to these procedures. We performed a comprehensive literature review through a Medline search for relevant case reports, clinical trials, and review articles. Complications from lumbar epidural injections are extremely rare. Most if not all complications can be avoided by careful technique with accurate needle placement, sterile precautions, and a thorough understanding of the relevant anatomy and contrast patterns on fluoroscopic imaging