Volume 5 Issue 4

2020

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The Inclusion of Knowledge Economy Concepts in the Omani Social Studies Textbooks

Jalila Al-Balushi Saif Al-Maamari
Pages: 274-286

The study aims at identifying the degree of inclusion of knowledge economy concepts in social studies curriculum for grades (3-12) in the Sultanate of Oman for the concepts of knowledge economy. The data were collected and the concepts were constructed by the Delphi method over three consecutive rounds, The study was applied to the sample consists of 20 social studies textbooks for grades (3-12) at the rate of (20) books for the first and second semesters at the level of the three grades, The results showed that the first indicator: the institutional system of the state represents the highest degree of inclusion of the concepts of the knowledge economy. The ICT system index represents the lowest degree of inclusion of the concepts of the knowledge economy in the content of textbooks for grades 3-12. The results also indicated that post-primary education for grades 11 and 12 comes first in the degree to which they include the concepts of the knowledge economy according to the four indicators, followed by (5-10), while none of the textbooks of the first level of basic education on concepts of knowledge economy. The study recommended the need to include the concepts of the knowledge economy in different grades and stages, and to carry out more research and studies, renewable and continuous, which ensure the concepts of economy Knowledge in different textbooks and stages in line with the requirements of the knowledge economy

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Does Motivation, Personality and Environment Influence Enthusiasm of Generation Z to Contuining Study to Higher Education?

Soleh Husniyatus Salamah Zainiyati
Pages: 287-295

This study aims to analyze the influence of motivation, personality, and environment on students ‘interest to continue their studies to college. we used a sample of 162 students at 12th grade. Data analysis techniques using multiple linear regression analysis. The results show that motivation and environment significantly influence towards enthusiasm for continuing to higher education. However, not with personality variables. This proves that even though generation Z students have pragmatic personalities, underdeveloped social relationships, caution with their emotions, individualists, and open thinking, have not been proven to have an influence on interest in continuing their studies. So, even if the personality is good or bad does not have an influence on the interest in continuing their studies to college. Because of that, cooperation between family environments, school and community environment especially peer interaction very needed. The role of the main family environment in the lives of students, the family environment is expected to always support what is aspired by their children, especially in sub-indicators of family environment which has a moderate mean of social class and economic status.

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Investigation of the Leadership Qualifications of School Managers in Educational Administration: The Teachers' Views

Salih Sarışık
Pages: 296-307

In this study, it is aimed to determine the efficiencies of school managers in educational administration by getting teacher opinions. The research’s field of study includes totally 40 teachers ( 21 female , 19 male ) who works in Sapanca, Sakarya: 10 pre-school teachers, 10 primary school teachers, 10 secondary school teachers and 10 high school teachers. In the e search, teachers were asked 6 questions to find the proficiencies of school managers in educational administration by getting teacher opinions. Since the interviews were made in computer environment, they were recorded digitally and then turned into written documents. At the end of the research, the proficiencies of school managers in educational administration according to the teacher opinions were evaluated under 6 titles. It was mostly declared by the teachers that managers should be fair. When evaluated as academically, it was stated that they should support the students and give importance to education more than enough hand also was mostly declared that they should motivate and award the students to improve their academic success. In terms of social activities, it was stated that they should provide all kind of opportunities by thin kind the personal differences of the students. Finally, when evaluated as their attitudes towards teachers, it was indicated that they should be fair, respectful managers who can communicate well.

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The Effect of a Simple Reward Model on the Academic Achievement of Syrian Dental Students

Aous DANNAN
Pages: 308-314

Reward systems in teaching are important keys which aim at enhancing students’ academic achievements. Studying the effects of rewards, as extrinsic motivators, on college students is somehow underestimated in the literature. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of a simple tangible reward on the academic achievement of Syrian dental students. A total of 139 dental students, assigned to four classes, were enrolled in the study. After completion of a first exam, all students who got full marks (i.e. 20 marks) were awarded a “Certificate of Achievement”. Four weeks later, a second exam related to the same course took place, and the same process of certification for students with full marks was performed. Records of students’ marks of both first and second exams were collected and statistically analyzed. The results showed no statistically significant differences between groups (i.e. classes) neither for first exam nor for second exam marks. The mean of marks for the first and second exams were (10.62±4.88) and (14.63±4.07) respectively. The difference of means’ records for all students between first and second exams was statistically significant. It was concluded that a tangible reward in the form of “certificate” had a positive effect on the dental students’ academic achievements. Enhancement of students’ motivation through reward systems should come under focus in higher educational institutions.

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Assessment of Informal Learning Program on Weather Phenomena: Its Perception and Necessity in Greece

Kyriaki MAKRİ Elissavet GALANAKİ Ioannis KOLETSİS Vassiliki KOTRONİ Konstantinos LAGOUVARDOS
Pages: 315-334

The inadequate approach of the weather phenomena, the associated atmospheric processes as well as their impacts at the Greek education led to the creation of the learning program "Peri Anemon & Ydaton", by the meteorological unit of the National Observatory of Athens. The program, which is presented to Junior High School and High School students, is structured into five thematic sessions and covers eight learning goals, the implementation of which was assessed using a multipleresponse questionnaire. In general, the program "Peri Anemon & Ydaton" is a vivid example for the efficiency of informal learning programs. Furthermore, it is the first attempt for the recording of the results as an assessment of an informal learning program on weather and climate in Greece. The learning program "Peri Anemon & Ydaton" is implemented with the approval of the Educational Policy Institute of Greece, thus indicating its pedagogical adequacy

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Physical Activity Practitioners: Reducing Infection with Coronavirus

Hikmat ALMATHKOORİ Rafahiya BOUCHAREB María José FLORES-TENA
Pages: 335-342

Physical activity is carrying out a conscious voluntary physical effort, as the body gains health and protection from diseases. There are many different types of physical activities. It is possible to do walking, running, jumping, climbing, etc. These matters are important in a person’s life, so if the individual does not like a type Among them, there are many options, and there are many games that are practiced as a kind of entertaining sport such as football, basketball, and small games. Therefore, everyone must set hours per day to exercise, especially during the home ban that results in lack of movement, excessive eating, and more sleep with The possibility of weight gain and thus the high risk of developing serious and chronic diseases such as: diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis, in addition to mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, fatigue and stress, which in turn leads to psycho-motor disorders. The researchers used a questionnaire that was distributed to 80 persons from the Algerian community, whose ages ranged from 45-55 years, during which a set of questions was asked and the answers were closed in the selection of them chosen by the researchers, and the most important findings of the researchers in their study is that physical activity and exercise within the limits The house contributes effectively to feeling healthy and safe from diseases, improving the recreational side and avoiding psychological pressures.

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The Predictive Effect of Father-Child Relationship on Peer Relationships of Young Children

Hülya GÜLAY OGELMAN Ahmet EROL
Pages: 343-352

The purpose of this study is to examine the predictive effect of father-child relationship on peer relationships of young children. The population of the study comprised of 5–6 year-old children (N=105), who were attending the kindergarten class of primary schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in Denizli, as well as their fathers. A relational survey method was used in this study. A Personal Information Form, developed by the researchers, Child-Parent Relationship Scale (Father Form), the Child Behaviour Scale, and the Peer Victimization Scale were used to collect data of the study. Father-child relationship significantly predicted levels of prosocial, aggressive, asocial, excluded, hyperactivity-distractible, and peer victimization behaviours of young children. Accordingly, it could be concluded that father-child relationship is effective on peer relationships of young children

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A Critical Review of Data Mining for Education: What has been done, what has been learnt and what remains to be seen

Ilias PAPADOGIANNIS Vassilis POULOPOULOS Manolis WALLACE
Pages: 353-372

This article provides a thorough review of educational data mining (EDM) in the period 2015-2019. Going beyond earlier review works, in this article we examine previous research from a variety of aspects, including the examined data, the algorithms used, the type of conclusions drawn, the educational level/setting of application and the actual exploitation of the results in the educational setting. Our findings indicate that tertiary education dominates the EDM domain, while minimal focus has been given to secondary education and almost none to primary education. Our finding, and suggestion, is that by focusing EDM on earlier education level the field can have a more profound impact on education and on society as a whole

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Investigation of the Textbooks Based on Problem Based Learning to Improve Student Learning Outcomes in Thematic Learning

Maulana Agung Prabowo Sarwanto Roemintoyo
Pages: 373-379

The purpose of this study is to develop textbooks based on problem based learning to improve learning outcomes of fourth grade elementary school students. This article is a research and development that follows the Sukmadinata research procedure. This research consists of three stages, namely the exploration phase, the development stage and the testing stage. The output of this research is problem based learning textbooks that are effective for implementation in the classroom. The application in the class shows that textbooks based on problem based learning can improve student learning outcomes in thematic learning on the theme of Beautiful Diversity in My Country. This improvement can also contribute to the success of teachers towards the implementation of the 2013 curriculum. In addition, this Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach can motivate students in the learning process while helping to understand students' concepts. Moreover, the theme we raised in research (The Beautiful Diversity in My Country) can improve students' critical thinking skills in exploring things in their own country.

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Teaching Democracy: Tools and Methods in the Secondary Education

Theodore Chadjipadelis Marina Sotiroglou Antonis Papaoikonomou
Pages: 380-388

Political and Social scientists, since the end of the 20th century, have been concerned about youth’s “withdrawal” from participating in public life. This paper addresses the issue of teaching Civic Education and presents new didactic and interactive tools that can be used in the educational process. Introducing the meaning of Democracy to students takes place in compulsory education but during Secondary Education is taught extensively with the aim of creating responsible and interactive citizens. Therefore, students are exercised in democratic procedures during courses, interactive learning and by electing students’ board into school premises in order to motivate political participation and political understanding. However, an individual is not considered as a citizen only on the election day. To this end, thematic workshops were designed and implemented by using the principle of deliberation in schools in the area of Thessaloniki (Greece), in the context of the course "Contemporary World, Citizen and Democracy" in Secondary Education. The workshops focused on the familiarization with the Greek and European Parliament functions into the school communities by interactive and experiential learning. At the end of this approach, a survey was conducted to students concerning their opinion about deliberation and electoral procedures. In that terms, we aim to develop a structured and interactive Civic Education curriculum that will help shape active and responsible citizens. Our teaching practice is based on mathematical skills and statistical concepts to cultivate further the concepts of democracy and representation.

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Critical Thinking and It is Role in Facing Coronavirus

Violla Makhzoum Mazen Jabbour
Pages: 389-406

This research addresses the role of the Critical thinking skill in helping individuals face the crisis that arise; and we have taken the spread of Corona virus as a model to build upon this study. This research uses the descriptive method to test the validity of research hypotheses based on correlations or influence between research variables. We adopted the random sampling to carry out with this study.In this study, we have used the questionnaire as a tool to study the sample that consisted of 500 citizens from all Lebanese governorates. The analysis of the field study showed that there is significant correlation between the respondents having the skill of Critical thinking, the anxiety resulting from the spread of Corona virus, and the role of this skill in adhering to the instructions issued by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior during the spread of this virus.It was proven in this research that Critical thinking skills were higher in women than it is for men; despite the result of the statistical analysis showing that women suffer more than men from anxiety and stress due to the spread of Corona virus.The ranking of the Lebanese provinces for the possession of Critical thinking skill was as follows: Beirut Governorate, Nabatiyeh Governorate, Mount Lebanon Governorate, South Lebanon Governorate, Bekaa Governorate, North Lebanon Governorate, Akkar Governorate, and Baalbek Hermel Governorate.

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Implementing School Policy: Teachers’ Strategies in Improving Students Speaking Ability

Hariratuz Zakiya Riyadi Santoso Joko Nurkamto
Pages: 407-416

The problem of learning language skills especially speaking still exists in many educational institutions in Indonesia. For schools and English teachers, overcoming this problem becomes a huge challenge because Indonesian learners still underestimate the capability of formal educations also English teachers to educate them in the right way. This research will investigate the school's policy and the teachers' strategies in improving students' speaking ability in a Bilingual High School in Indonesia. The research questions to be are what the school policy is on improving students' speaking ability, what the teachers' strategies are in implementing the school policy to improve students' speaking ability. A case study is employed for this research. The data of this research is taken from an in-depth interview with English teachers and school officials, observation, and documentation. The techniques of data verification in this research are using triangulation technique and member check. The purposes of this research are to show the positive teachers’ strategies in implementing school policy in improving students’ speaking ability.

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Higher Education and Covid-19 Pandemic: Matters Arising and the Challenges of Sustaining Academic Programs in Developing African Universities

Muhammad Muftahu
Pages: 417-423

The purpose of this study is to explore the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic to higher education by identifying matters arising and the challenges of sustaining academic programs with specific attention to developing universities in African context. In carrying out this study, secondary data analysis was conducted wherein systematic literature, policy documents, as well as related models between Covid-19 and Higher Education were reviewed. The findings from study indicated that the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed universities in different nations beyond their limits toward developing appropriate and creative alternatives such as transitioning to remote learning, training of academic staff in the use of online instruction materials and tools and encouraging students to complete their education requirements through online learning in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The present study explored higher education in the current and post Covid-19 pandemic in the global perspective thus fostering broad scope thereby affecting interpretations and generalizations. Findings from this study can be useful for researchers, policymakers, and university leadership in terms of developing policies and program as well as education contingency measures that can address future pandemic and support sustainable learning. As Covid-19 pandemic is a fairly new research area, this study makes an original contribution to the research base of higher education institutions (HEIs) and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Determinants of Self-Esteem among Undergraduate Students of Public Higher Education Institutions in Ethiopia

Gadise Gezu Lalise Kumera Zinashbizu Lema
Pages: 424-431

Self-esteem is a person’s feeling of self-pride or worth that reflects a person`s overall evaluation of his or her own value. The aim of this study was to assess determinants of self-esteem among undergraduate students of public higher education institutions in Ethiopia. Cross-sectional study was conducted at three randomly selected universities found in Ethiopia. The study participants were consists of 382 randomly selected third year students from college of business and economics. The data covers demographic variables and 10-items validated Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20.00.Out of 410 distributed questionnaires for the study participants only 382 (207 male and 175 female) students with response rate of 93.2% were returned the questionnaires in this study. Accordingly, the result of our study revealed that female students has high mean score (33.67 ±4.14) than male students (27.47±2.89) of self-esteem. Multiple regressions analysis of our study also revealed that gender difference, residence and CGPA of students are significant predictors (or significantly related to) of self-esteem (P=0.000). This study concludes as the parental education, gender difference, residence, and CGPA of students are the main determinants of students’ self-esteem. But Parental occupation has no correlation and significant impact with students’ self-esteem. Thus, the researchers recommend further studies on this area by incorporating other variables and universities to boost the students’ self-esteem.

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Effect of Information and Communication Technology Tools for Instructional Delivery in Tertiary Institution in Nigeria

Ezemoyih Chuks Marcel Okike O. Celestine Kingsley S.U, Oyekezie Beatrice Eze
Pages: 432-437

One of UNESCO’s overriding aim is to ensure that all tertiary institutions both colleges of education/polytechnics, and universities have access to the best of educational facilities necessary to prepare young people to play full roles in modern society and to contribute to a knowledge nation. They maintain a capacity to advise national government on the use of technology in schools and in particular on the use of institutional delivery tools. It defines ICTS, classified four basic institutional uses of such as retrieval of new knowledge and integration of evolving technologies for the management of teaching and learning. E-learning, blended learning, open and distance learning, learner centered environment as well as to improve quality of education were highlighted challenges confronting institutional delivery were examined. Recommendations were made which include the parliamentarian should pass a bill on stabilizing the price of educational tools in the markets to make it affordable for students to acquire at a reduced rate. Also conferences, workshops and symposium should be organized to train people and enlighten them on the need for instructional delivery in schools.

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