Issues Causing Girls’ Dropout from Schools in Afghanistan

The current study is a non-empirical research attempting to explore the key issues contributing to the dropout of girls from schools in Afghanistan. The paper first provides a historical background where the education of girls in the country has always been challenged. The study also explores a few studies conducted in the neighboring countries of Afghanistan where girls’ education is facing similar challenges causing to their dropout from schools. Subsequently, specific challenges, such as cultural, economic, insecurity, and school related challenges have been identified as the main challenges toward the education of girls in Afghanistan. Finally, a number of recommendation have been proposed at the end of the paper, implementing of which might be useful for the status of girls’ education in the country

Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in EFL Context: Exploring Afghan EFL Lecturers’ Perceived Challenges in Implementing CLT

Many studies have been conducted to investigate the implementation of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in ESL and EFL contexts, but those conducted in EFL context, have reported that the application of CLT was challenging. Still, as far as the Afghan EFL context is concerned, there is a lack of empirical research investigating the issue. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore afghan EFL lecturers’ perceived challenges in practicing CLT. The study also aims to examine if there is any significant relationship among teachers use of CLT, the perceived challenges, and their demographic profiles. This study uses a quantitative research approach in which a survey questionnaire was given to EFL lecturers teaching in a public university. The results of the study revealed that the EFL lecturers had positive perceptions of using CLT activities, as there were evidence of a number of major CLT activities conducted in their classrooms. The results also revealed that they faced certain challenges that prevented them from implementing CLT effectively. Furthermore, significant correlation was found between students’ related challenges and teachers’ perceptions of using CLT; however, no significant correlations were found among teachers’ demographic profiles and CLT perceived challenges. This research is significant since it could be used as a resource presenting a comprehensive picture of CLT implementation in EFL classrooms in Afghanistan

Issues Causing Girls’ Dropout from Schools in Afghanistan

The current study is a non-empirical research attempting to explore the key issues contributing to the dropout of girls from schools in Afghanistan. The paper first provides a historical background where the education of girls in the country has always been challenged. The study also explores a few studies conducted in the neighboring countries of Afghanistan where girls’ education is facing similar challenges causing to their dropout from schools. Subsequently, specific challenges, such as cultural, economic, insecurity, and school related challenges have been identified as the main challenges toward the education of girls in Afghanistan. Finally, a number of recommendation have been proposed at the end of the paper, implementing of which might be useful for the status of girls’ education in the country

Afghan EFL Lecturers’ Perceptions of Code-Switching

Code-switching is explained as switching between two languages at the same time while conversing in the same discourse. The aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of Afghan EFL lecturers toward code- switching. This study used a qualitative research approach in which the data was collected via semi-structured interviews with five EFL lecturers. The lecturers were interviewed to explore their perceptions and reasons for code-switching, and the extent to which they practice code-switching in their classrooms. The results revealed that the lecturers in the study had positive perceptions of code-switching and believed it as a beneficial strategy in facilitating the learning process. However, they also conveyed that an excessive practice of code-switching should be avoided. The study results also disclosed that the lecturers practiced code-switching for various functions such as explaining difficult concepts (translation), explaining complex grammatical points, clarifications, and giving instructions. Finally, the paper provides recommendation for further research

Axial Stability Exercises with Varying Back Muscle Contractions and Their Significant Impacts on Physiological Indicators due to Sports Technology and the Explosive Ability of Volleyball Players

The current paper aimed to prepare axial stability exercises with a variety of back muscle contractions for volleyball players, and identify their important effects on some physiological indicators according to sports technology and the explosive ability of volleyball players. The research was based on two hypotheses, both of which indicated statistically significant variations in test results. Pre and post brain signals (EEG) for the three beta brain waves in the experimental group. There are statistically significant variations between the before and post-test findings for the explosive ability of the legs in the experimental group participants. The experimental research technique was used by creating one experimental group. The research population was represented by 12 young volleyball players from Al-Kahraba Club, who were selected using a comprehensive enumeration method to represent their community of origin, with a 100% representation of their community of origin in the sample for the 2023/2024 sports season. The latest sports technologies were employed to measure brain signals (EEG) for the three beta brain waves. This method is easy to apply on the volleyball court and does not require the transportation of players to other laboratories, as is the case with the (Neurosky) device, which includes a sensitive head kit. The Sarget test is approved for the purpose of measuring the explosiveness of the legs, and the EEG is equipped with NeuroSky technology to detect nerve signals. The exercises were prepared and applied in the research experiment by applying pre-tests on 8/10/2023 and then applying axial stability exercises with varying back muscle contractions for the period from 8/13/2023 until 10/5/2023. Applying post-tests on 8/10/2023 concluded the experiment, and the SPSS system statistically processed the collected data, leading to the conclusions and applications that axial stability exercises with varying back muscle contractions enhance the level of low beta EEG signals. To improve volleyball players' explosive abilities, coaches should prioritize physiological (EEG) signals measurement in line with their sports technology. Mobile balance tools used in axial stability training should be suitable for the players' abilities and ensure their safety from sudden falls or injuries

Afghan EFL Lecturers’ Assessment Practices in the Classroom

The current study is conducted with the aim to explore the practices and perceptions of Afghan EFL lecturers toward assessment. A second aim of the study is to explore the challenges the lecturers encounter in the implementation of formative assessments in their classes. To serve these basic objectives, a qualitative case study method design was employed with three English language lectures as the participants. Semi-structured interviews were used as the main instrument to collect data. The findings of the study indicated that all three lecturers maintained positive perceptions toward formative assessment and favored it over summative assessment. However, the study also discovered that the lecturers practice summative assessments more than formative assessments in their classrooms. This, as indicated by the lecturers, was due to the fact that their choices of employing certain assessment practices were dictated in terms of certain challenges such as university rules and policies, large classes, and time constraints. Lastly, some suggestions are made that may prove useful to effectively apply formative assessment in Afghan EFL context

Exploring the Influential Factors on Students\u27 Mathematical Interest in Schools

This research study aimed to identify and examine the factors that influence the level of interest among high school students in mathematics education. The study explored various factors, including student characteristics, teacher attributes, government involvement, infrastructure challenges, instructional strategies, class size, and concerns related to mathematics. A central high school in Khost was selected as the research site. A random sampling technique was employed to select participants from each class, ensuring representation based on age and gender. The findings revealed that seven factors significantly predicted high school students’ interest in mathematics education. Specifically, the teacher factor, student factor, instructional strategy, math concern, and infrastructure problem positively correlated with the level of interest. At the same time, the class size and government involvement exhibited a negative association. These findings highlight the significance of these factors in shaping students\u27 engagement with mathematics. Based on the results, it is recommended that the government implement regular professional development programs for mathematics teachers to enhance their instructional strategies, enabling them to nurture students\u27 interest in mathematics education effectively

Exploring Vocabulary Learning Strategies among Afghan Undergraduate EFL Learners

The English language is immensely rich in terms of vocabulary. When learning vocabulary, successful students employ specific strategies. Several studies have been conducted to explore the vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) English language learners employ. However, there is a lack of empirical research on the topic in Afghanistan. Therefore, the aims of this study were to 1) explore the VLS undergraduate English learners employ; 2) examine the correlation between VLS and gender; 3) examine the correlation between VLS and students’ year of studies; and 4) examine the correlation between VLS and students’ English proficiency level. The study used a descriptive-quantitative research design. The study discovered that metacognitive and memory strategies were the most frequently used, while social strategies were the least frequently used. Moreover, the correlation results revealed that metacognitive strategies were more prevalent among males, while memory strategies were more popular among females

The Importance of Consultancy Project and How Can It Will Be Adopted in Kurdistan Universities as an Alternative to Replace the Summer Training (2016)/ Sulaimani Polytechnic University & Cihan University/ Sulaimaniya

This research mainly focused on providing an alternative option to the summer training. The hypothesis has been made on the students who are not approved of the summer training and they hope to change it. For this purpose, we have created a questionnaire to achieve primary data and we gave it to the students at level 4 of university in Sulaimani Polytechnic University, in order to identify their happiness with this module. In the questionnaire, we have suggested that consultancy project can be adopted to alter the summer training. After receiving the responses, we have found that the majority of students considered that: the summer training can be changed into a better project and this somehow matched with the hypothesis given. Keywords: summer training, alternative, internal & external consultancy.

Glossary of Key Terms in Educational Research

The purpose of this Glossary of Terms is to help novice researchers in understanding basic research terminologies in educational research. It provides definitions of many of the terms used in the guidebooks to conducting qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods of research. The terms are arranged in alphabetical order