Types of mathematical tasks used in secondary classroom instruction

This study examined the quality and types of mathematical tasks used for classroom instruction in an upper secondary school – gymnasium. All the mathematical tasks presented in nine different school classrooms during the first semester of the school year 2018/2019 were analysed against a 5D analytical framework. The dimensions of the individual task analysis were contextual features; the answer forms required; forms of presentation; types of required mathematical activity and cognitive demands involved. Performed analysis gived perspective on the learning opportunities offered in classroom instruction for building mathematical competencies specified in the current state education curriculum. The results indicate that the selection of tasks was not in accordance with the curriculum requirements. Mostly, teachers used close-ended, non-applicative, lower-level cognitive tasks presented in symbolic form, promoting operations and calculations as a central activity. These types of tasks are usually associated with knowledge and skills of lower orders. In this case, classroom instruction had low potential and very little room left to build a significant portion of competencies and learning outcomes of higher orders

The Influence of Parenting Styles on Social Behavior and Competence in Function of Student Learning Success

Styles of parenting create different social environments in the lives of children inside the home. The main purpose of this research is to find out the existence of a relationship between parenting, emotional control, prosocial behavior, and student success in learning. The study included a sample of 200 subjects from two low public secondary schools in Kaçanik, 51% female and 49% male. Participants were 15 years of age (28 teenagers), 16 (51 teenagers), 17 (21 teenagers). The tests used in this research are: a question about parenting styles that is standardized for use in our country and a question about social competence. The results showed an authoritative parental stature with 50% of the parents, followed by the indifferent style of 27%, the authoritative style with 14%, and the liberal style with 9% of the polled ones. Regarding social competence, dominates the average level of social maturity by 62%, followed by high social maturity by 24% and low social maturity by 14% of adolescent sample. The feminine gender of adolescents exhibits higher emotional control versus the male gender of adolescents with less emotional control than that of the female gender. There is a significant difference in the appearance of prosocial behaviors according to the level of success. It was also found that there is a statistically significant difference between the level of emergence of social competence deriving from the sex of the subject in this research, then the feminine gender of the adolescents exhibits higher emotional control in spite of the age-old gender, there is a significant difference in the appearance of prosocial behaviors according to the level of success, as well as the 16-year-old show higher levels of prosocial behavior despite 15 and 17 year-olds in this research. This study puts emphasis on parents awareness and psycho-education on positive parenting strategies for the growth of healthy children with a sense of autonomy and  confidence. Key words: Parenting Styles, Social Competence, Students, Social Behavior, Success

Assessment of Mathematics Textbooks Potential in Terms of Student’s Motivation and Comprehension

This paper discusses the role and influence of textbooks in mathematics teaching and learning in lower secondary school in the Republic of Kosovo. In particular, it focuses on their potential in enhancing student’s motivation and comprehension to engage in mathematical learning. Rivers matrix and Skovsmose’s learning milieus are two methods involved in analyzing the mathematics textbooks in current use in grades 6 – 9 of lower secondary school. Rivers matrix identifies key factors of the textbook content with direct impact on student motivation and comprehension. Subsequently their degree and quality of presence are examined. Using Skovsmose’s learning milieus, textbook tasks and examples are scrutinized according to the extent in which they are embedded in contexts that make connections to real life. Further on, the organizing structure of content and the range of used or proposed teaching and learning activities throughout the textbooks is discussed. The article is the first of its kind in Kosovo and it has provided valuable data regarding the functionality level of the above mentioned textbooks. Keywords: Comprehension, Mathematics textbooks, Motivation, Textbook analysi

Predictive factors for patient satisfaction in public and private hospitals in Kosovo

Aim: The objective of this study was to assess predictive factors for patient satisfaction with healthcare services as a measure of the quality of hospital care in public and private hospitals in Kosovo. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kosovo during 2015-2016 including a representative sample of 2585 patients older than 18 years [1010 (48.6%) males and 1069 (51.4%) females from public hospitals; and 240 (47.4%) males and 266 (52.6%) females from private hospitals]. Patient satisfaction dimensions such as satisfaction with medical care, nursing care, organization, and overall impression were the main variables measured. A risk-adjusted multivariate analysis was applied. Results: Multiple linear regression analysis revealed as independent significant predictors of the total satisfaction of patients from public hospitals the following factors: age, length of stay in hospital in days, education, payment for additional analyzes during hospitalization and buying medications for hospital treatment. These five independent significant predictors accounted for 7.3% of the change in the total patients’ satisfaction (stepwise method - R2 = 0.073). Conversely, there were only four predictors of the total satisfaction of patients from private hospitals: length of stay in hospital in days, number of hospitalizations in the last 12 months, paying for hospitalization, and cost of hospitalization exceeds received services. Only the variables “length of hospital stay” together with “cost of hospitalization exceeds received services” as independent predictors, explained 5.3% of the variability of total satisfaction. Conclusion: Structural and qualitative characteristics of hospitals have a significant impact on patients’ satisfaction. Age, length of stay, education, payment for additional analyzes during hospitalization and the cost of hospitalization in public hospitals and length of stay, paying for hospitalization, and cost of hospitalization in private hospitals are useful predictors for total satisfaction of patients in Kosovo

Predictive factors for patient satisfaction in public and private hospitals in Kosovo

Aim: The objective of this study was to assess predictive factors for patient satisfaction with healthcare services as a measure of the quality of hospital care in public and private hospitals in Kosovo. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kosovo during 2015-2016 including a representative sample of 2585 patients older than 18 years [1010 (48.6%) males and 1069 (51.4%) females from public hospitals; and 240 (47.4%) males and 266 (52.6%) females from private hospitals]. Patient satisfaction dimensions such as satisfaction with medical care, nursing care, organization, and overall impression were the main variables measured. A risk-adjusted multivariate analysis was applied. Results: Multiple linear regression analysis revealed as independent significant predictors of the total satisfaction of patients from public hospitals the following factors: age, length of stay in hospital in days, education, payment for additional analyzes during hospitalization and buying medications for hospital treatment. These five independent significant predictors accounted for 7.3% of the change in the total patients’ satisfaction (stepwise method - R2 = 0.073). Conversely, there were only four predictors of the total satisfaction of patients from private hospitals: length of stay in hospital in days, number of hospitalizations in the last 12 months, paying for hospitalization, and cost of hospitalization exceeds received services. Only the variables “length of hospital stay” together with “cost of hospitalization exceeds received services” as independent predictors, explained 5.3% of the variability of total satisfaction. Conclusion: Structural and qualitative characteristics of hospitals have a significant impact on patients’ satisfaction. Age, length of stay, education, payment for additional analyzes during hospitalization and the cost of hospitalization in public hospitals and length of stay, paying for hospitalization, and cost of hospitalization in private hospitals are useful predictors for total satisfaction of patients in Kosovo

The impact of metacognitive strategies and self-regulating processes of solving math word problems

This empirical study investigates the impact of metacognitive strategies and self-regulating processes in learners’ achievement on solving math word problems. It specifically analyzes the impact of the linguistic factor and the number of steps and arithmetical operations that learners need to apply during the process of solving math word problems. Two hundred sixty-three learners, of three classes of third graders (N=130) and four classes of fifth graders (N=133) of the elementary cycle from two urban schools of Kosovo, participated in the study. Almost half of the total number of the third and fifth-graderswere exposed to metacognitive instruction. The rest of the learners were included in control classes in which they performed tasks without having been given any specific guidance, based exclusively on traditional methods and respective textbooks. All the learners were tested in math word problems twice, before the intervention and after it. Research findings have shown that metacognitive strategies and self-regulating processes that learners use to control their actions, to reason, and to reflect, are one of the main resources that influence their success in solving a math word problem. Although the difference between the pre-test and the post-test resultswas statistically significant solely with the fifth-grade experimental classes, yet an improved performance was observed in third-grade experimental learners’ classes compared to control classes. Theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed in the end of the study