Problems of Education in the 21st Century

743

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Problems of Education in the 21st Century, ISSN 1822-7864 (Print) ISSN 2538-7111 (Online) Vol. 80, No. 6, 2022

750-764

Authors: Ebru Aylar Çankaya, Esengül Yıldız, Cemre Cengiz

An integer-based mathematical game was the main subject of the study. The aim of this study was to analyse the mathematical content of the game which was developed by a fourth-grade student called Esin, and to examine the intuitive learning that develops through this game. The game was based on the addition of the positive or negative numbers won in each round. The integer is regarded as an abstract topic and is taught in secondary school. It is also regarded as a topic that students have difficulty in learning. However, in the case examined by this research, a fourth grader created an integer addition game using her own intuitive understandings and played it with three of her friends. This research was a case study focusing on the analysis of the game. The study group of the research was Esin and her three friends who played the game. Data was gathered in two stages. In the first stage Esin played the game with researchers and in the second stage Esin and her friends played the game together. All the games were recorded, and the observation form was used to record data. Descriptive analysis, which consists of two codes (cardinal or ordinal meaning), was carried out in data analysis. As a result of the study, it was seen that, Esin had defined negative and positive numbers over the idea of win / lose. Students were able to use both the cardinal and ordinal meanings of the number while playing the game. Cardinal meaning was usually established through the neutralization relation. Ordinal meaning was mostly used over positioning the number relative to zero. This research contributes to the literature on students' learning of integers at an early age.

777-791

Authors: Hind Rasheed Alqirnas

The current study seeks to explore primary school teachers’ implementations of the concept of digital citizenship. The study adopted a questionnaire as the quantitative method and distributed it to the participants online. 943 participants were both (female, male) of Hail city in Saudi Araba. The results show that the primary teachers have positive implementations about the concept of digital citizenship and its dimensions. It also found that tender had no effect on digital citizenship dimensions. However, primary teachers with more than 10 years of technological experience high higha level of knowledge of concept of digital citizenship, especially in digital communication and digital etiquette. Based on the findings, the study recommended focusing on developing the capabilities of educational cadres in general and teachers in particular, as well as preparing and training them in the areas of digital citizenship, allowing them to teach it effectively and to effectively employ digital technologies in the educational process. More research is needed in the future to identify the requirements for citizenship in education from the set of cultural, social, health, legal, and security determinants related to digital technology that enable the educational system in general, and teachers in particular, to contribute to the preparation of a modern citizen capable of using and employing digital technology in a safe and sound manner.

811-822

Authors: Vlastimil Chytry, Milan Kubiatko, Libor Pacovsky

The aim of the study was to find out the factors, which significantly affected satisfaction with distance education among university students (undergraduate students). Complete data were obtained from 1283 respondents from different faculties in Czech Republic during the second term in academic year 2021/2022. The items in research tool were Likert type and also semantic differential was used. The descriptive, inferential and multidimensional statistic were used for data evaluation. Independent variables like: Evaluation factor for full-time form; Activity factor for full-time form; Difficulty factor for combined form; Evaluation factor for combined form; Activity factor for combined form; Perception of distance learning through negatives and Perception of distance learning through positives were as significant, which influenced satisfaction with distance education. Implications for pedagogical practice are presented in the conclusion part.

836-850

Authors: Maja Kerneža, Metka Kordigel Aberšek

Learning environments and teaching methods have been constantly changing over the past decades. As the shift in the learning environment is primarily toward a physical to an online learning environment, this study examines how to enable younger students to select appropriate content for learning in digital learning environments that they can then successfully read and evaluate using appropriate strategies. The study is based on 54 in-depth case studies. Using the Internet reciprocal teaching method (IRT), 54 implementers trained 54 primary school students from first to fifth grade in basic computer skills, Internet information searching, and website navigation, as well as analysing data obtained using the TICA Phase 1, 2, and 3 Checklists, the implementers' report, and the children notes in a text editor. Triangulation of the data in combination with selected statistical methods shows that there are differences in the use of the method between students according to age. While the latter can use an unadopted form of the method, younger students need some adjustments, which are suggested in the light of previous research.

865-868

Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Problems of Education in the 21st Century, ISSN 1822-7864 (Print) ISSN 2538-7111 (Online) Vol. 80, No. 6, 2022

623

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 80, No. 5, 2022, PEC

630-651

Authors: Moses Abdullai Abukari, Huaru Alhassan Marifa, Jonathan Ayelsoma Samari, Philip Dorsah, Fatao Abudu

The concept of hybridisation is one of the most difficult concepts for chemistry students to grasp at all levels of learning. Research showed the students conceptual difficulty ranged from their lack of the pre-requisite knowledge for grasping the topic hybridisation to chemical bond formation and orientations of atomic orbitals. This study investigated the difficulties Senior High School Students face in learning hybridisation. The study adopted a mixed-method approach using the sequential exploratory design. Purposive sampling was used to select six schools that offer elective chemistry subject. Simple random sampling was then used to select 120 Senior High School form 1 students to take part in the study. Convenient sampling was used to interview 24 students from the sample. Hybridisation Achievement Test (HAT) and Semi-structured interviews were self-constructed and used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and Content analysis were used to analyse the data. Results showed that, majority of students had difficulties in explaining the concept of hybrid orbitals, writing the electron configuration of 6C, explaining the effect of hybridisation on formation of chemical bonds in 6C, and type of hybridisation and shapes of compounds such as NH3, OF2, BCl3, CO2, SiO2, C2H2, BeF¬2 and C2H4. The study also showed that students had difficulties in explaining and demonstrating the formation of C = C double bond in ethene and other compounds. Equally students were challenged in demonstrating the differences between the formation of sigma and pi bonds in compounds. Students had difficulties in using electron orbital diagrams to explain the shape of CO2 as linear. The study concluded that Senior High School form 1 chemistry students in the Upper West Region of Ghana lacked the most basic and fundamental concept of hybridisation. Teachers need to use conceptual change instructional approaches to teach hybridisation in order to foster students’ understanding and reduce misconceptions.

679-692

Authors: Samuel de Oliveira Durso, Eucidio Pimenta Arruda

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way people live in society. New technologies powered by AI have been applied in different sectors of the economy and the educational context is no different. AI has been considered a key to the development of learning strategies, especially in distance education. In this sense, this research aimed to identify the current state of Brazilian literature on AI applied to distance education. The Higher Education market in Brazil, which is the biggest in Latin America regarding the number of individuals able to enroll in a program, is still developing and distance education has grown rapidly. To reach the purpose of this paper, it was performed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to find the research conducted in graduate programs that investigate the subject of AI applied to distance education. The final analysis used a total of 63 studies – 26 master’s theses and 37 doctoral dissertations. The main results show that most of the research on AI in distance education in Brazil was conducted in Computer Science (56%) and Engineering (27%). Only 6% of the studies reviewed are from masters’ or doctoral programs in Education. The result also shows that limited attention is paid to critical topics related to the growing introduction of AI in distance education, as such teachers’ employability and technological training or the ethical implications of using AI for the educational process. As a result of this SLR, it was possible to suggest research opportunities considering the international agenda on AI.

708-723

Authors: Irena Klasnić, Marina Đuranović, Marina Lucin

Migrations and migrants have been in the focus of interest and activities of many governments, organizations, and institutions, both worldwide and in Croatia. According to international policies, children who seek or are under international protection have the right to education. To access the education system of the Republic of Croatia more easily, they are given the opportunity to attend Croatian language preparatory or remedial classes. The research aim was to determine the needs and challenges posed by the inclusion of a Syrian asylum seeker in a Croatian primary school. The qualitative approach was applied. The case study presents a ten-year-old Syrian girl, attending a primary school in Zagreb. The data were gathered with the use of semi-structured interviews with the girl's sister, teachers in the primary school, and her classmates. In order to gain a deeper insight into the girl's functioning in the school context, notes made by teachers during observation of the girl’s performance in the course of the educational process were gathered and analysed. Guidelines and recommendations were developed that could have a positive impact on quality inclusion of children refugees and asylum seekers in the Croatian education system.

737-740

Authors: Editorial Board

End, Vol. 80, No. 5, 2022, PEC

493

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 80, No. 4, 2022, PEC

499-515

Authors: Johannes Addido, Andrea C. Burrows, Timothy F. Slater

Teaching science concepts for conceptual understanding has its challenges. Bringing about conceptual change in the science classroom can be difficult because most concepts are complicated and often counter-intuitive in the teaching and learning of science concepts. A review of the literature indicates that the conceptual change model, CCM can be an effective teaching technique in addressing misconceptions and improving conceptual understanding when it comes to science instruction. The aim of this research was to find out the effect of the conceptual change model on pre-service teachers’ conceptual understanding regarding the topic of forces and motion. Using data from tests and questionnaires, the research questions were answered by quantitatively analyzing the collected data. The analysis revealed that there is a statistically significant correlation between the conceptual change model and the conceptual understanding of the pre-service teacher participants. Overall, the results provide evidence in support of the effectiveness of the conceptual change model, CCM in addressing misconceptions and promoting conceptual understanding of forces and motion among the pre-service teacher participants that volunteered for this research. The results also indicate that the CCM is a teaching model which must be considered by science educators and teachers as they seek to address issues related to misconceptions and conceptual understanding in the teaching of science topics.

531-546

Authors: Princess Gerbie C. Durante

This mixed-method research sought to identify the factors, challenges and strategies that enable and strengthen collaborative research practice in academia. Participants of the study are purposively chosen, self-selected faculty and students from an external campus and a unit in the main campus of a state university in Bulacan, Philippines, who have successfully completed collaborative research writing projects, presented collaborative research projects in conferences and symposia, or published said collaborative research projects. Data were gathered using a researcher developed instrument, validated, and checked for reliability. Analysis of results using principal components analysis led to the development of the DRREAM (Diversity, Role assignment, Relationship-building and peer interdependence, Ergonomic, flexible and adaptable processes, Acquisition of knowledge, skills and expertise, Motivation consideration) model, a conceptual framework on factors that strengthen effectual collaborative research writing; while the use of thematic analysis enabled the formulation of IPP (Individual, Professional and Personal) model, a conceptual framework on strategies to overcome challenges faced by collaborators in a collaboration research project. Finally, an Action Plan Framework for Effectual Collaborative Research Writing is proposed to promote the culture of collaborative research practices among the members of the academia.

565-587

Authors: Lela R. Milošević Radulović, Suzana V. Marković Krstić

International conventions state that the right to an education is a basic human right which countries are obliged to guarantee. In Serbia, as in most countries, this right is guaranteed by the Constitution. However, data on a large part of the structure of the Serbian population with a lower level of educational attainment indicated that one part of the citizens did not realize this right since they did not continue their education after primary school. Therefore, the aim was to determine how the citizens of Serbia evaluated the state of education in Serbia as a whole (its quality), the accessibility (whether there are fair opportunities in education for all categories of the population), and the significance of education in Serbia (whether the knowledge acquired, and skills developed are relevant for employment). The results were obtained by analyzing the latest data from the European Social Survey (ESS) from 2018/2019 in Serbia on a sample of 2043 interviewees. The study was carried out by trained interviewers, in face-to-face interviews. The initial hypotheses were confirmed: a) a low prevalence of high grades for the state of education as a whole, the accessibility, and significance of education in Serbia, and b) that there is a difference in the perception of education depending on some of the socio-demographic characteristics of the interviewees. The creation of a favorable social and institutional environment and changes in the education policy are preconditions for the improvement of the quality and accessibility of education in Serbia.

602-616

Authors: Ayşegül Tongal, Miray Dağyar

Learning styles, cerebral dominance and chronotypes are among the factors that have been determined to be effective on individuals’ learning. It is stated in the literature that these three variables are interrelated or affect each other. Therefore, the aim of the study is to determine the extent to which students’ cerebral dominance predicts their learning styles and whether chronotypes have an effect on this level of prediction as a moderating variable. In the research, the “Morningness-Eveningness Stability Scale improved” (MESSI), the “Kolb Learning Style Inventory” (KLSI) and the “Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument” (HBDI) were used as data collection tools. The selection of upper-secondary schools included in the sample was made in a district of Antalya province with the convenience sampling method. The sample of 593 students who agreed to respond to the scale was formed from 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students studying at these upper-secondary schools in the 2021-2022 academic year. According to the analysis results of the structural equation model (SEM) obtained in the study, it was concluded that there were significant positive correlations between learning styles and the sub-dimensions of cerebral dominance; however, chronotypes did not significantly mediate the determined correlations. The findings of this study may provide implications for determining learning styles, which have proven effects on student performance in the teaching-learning process, and, by establishing relationships between individuals’ brain structures and chronotypes, the characteristics that direct learning preferences.

391

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 80, No. 3, 2022, PEC

395-407

Authors: Badr Alharbi

Saudi teachers are unsure how to include critical thinking into their classrooms.This study aimed at identifying the knowledge of Saudi teachers regarding critical thinking skills and exploring their attitudes towards improving Saudi students’ critical thinking skills. To identify if there are statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) between the response averages of the study sample members about the degree of assessment of Saudi teachers about their knowledge of self-critical thinking skills due to the variables (specialization, experience, and gender), the quantitative approach was used employing a three-part questionnaire as the study’s instrument to achieve objectives. The first part gathered the demographic information of the participants focusing on three variables: “specialization,” “years of experience,” and “gender. The second part was designed to assess the participants' critical thinking abilities. The third part was to determine the participants’ attitudes about improving students’ critical thinking skills. The sample of the study consisted of (408) teachers (male and female) who were teaching at secondary school level in Hail City, Saudi Arabia during the academic year 2020-2021. The results revealed that the level of Saudi Teachers’ knowledge of critical thinking skills was high and that their attitudes towards improving students’ critical thinking skills were positive. Statistically, there were significant differences in favor of the “sciences specialization” versus the “humanities specialization” in the questionnaire’s two objectives. On the other hand, there were no statistically significant differences in the “gender” and “years of experience” variables. For future research, there is still a need to further examine Saudi teachers’ critical thinking skills and their attitudes towards improving Saudi students’ critical thinking skills. Its relevance to e-learning and adaptable settings is also discussed. Future research could look into the many interactions between different learning methods and strategies utilized in the development of camel thinking.

426-437

Authors: Ingrid Dorea-Bandeira, Vanessa Gusmão de Oliveira, Mariana Araújo-Pereira, Bruno Bezerril Andrade, André Nogueira Nazar, Luiz Fernando Quintanilha, Katia de Miranda Avena

Academic misconduct during medical school is common, with multifactorial causes, and can negatively impact the training and professional performance of future physicians. This study investigated factors linked to academic misconducts among medical students during their training. It is a transversal, quantitative, and analytical study that assessed the perception of 240 students from five medical courses in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. A virtual, semi-structured, anonymous, self-completed questionnaire was used, with sociodemographic and academic variables recorded. Behavioral patterns were analyzed using hypothetical situations based on medical students' code of ethics, and the data were compared based on participant and institutional characteristics. Results showed that medical students reported that ethical attitudes were maintained during graduation (98.3%) and the majority claimed to know the student code of ethics (89.2%). However, there was a high frequency of academic misconduct, especially "recording classes without authorization" (72.9%), "cheating on tests" (67.9%) and " improperly sign attendance lists" (65.0%). We observed a higher association of females with actions such as "cheating on exams" and taking "pictures with anatomical parts and dummies". In addition, posting pictures with patients and taking on duty without medical supervision occurred more frequently among students from private schools. Although the students considered themselves to be ethical, a high frequency of inappropriate behavior in academic situations was evidenced. This scenario points to the need for greater attention to training based on moral and ethical commitment in academic activities, with a view to future professional performance.

456-473

Authors: Yurii Pelekh, Oleh Rudiuk, Viktor Demianiuk

The main purpose of this research is to examine the employment crisis among the unemployed youth with higher education. In particular, the research investigates the subjective experience of the youth representatives (n = 188) in the situation of job loss or inability to find it. For this purpose, the research uses the method of ranking social and psychological spheres of the youth by the criterion of frustration in the situation of job loss or inability to find it, as well as the method of multidimensional scaling to determine cognitive constructs used by the youth in interpreting individual situations of professional exclusion or unclaimed labor. According to the results of ranking social and psychological spheres of life of the unemployed youth with higher education, such social spheres of life as “inability to use the profession” and “difficult financial situation” are most frustrated in the situation of job loss or inability to find it. The research also found that such psychological spheres of the youth as “uncertainty in the future” and “feelings of dependence on external circumstances” are most frustrated in the situation of professional exclusion or unclaimed labor. The scaling of social and psychological spheres of life of the unemployed youth with higher education allowed empirical explanation of cognitive constructs as a system of latent categories of the subjective experience, which determines the character of experiencing a personal employment crisis. These categories include “social assessment”, “professional identification”, “self-doubt – dependence on others “lack of perspective – feeling of inferiority ". The results of the research allowed reconstructing the latent categories of the subjective experience of the unemployed youth with higher education who are experiencing a personal employment crisis in a situation of professional exclusion or unclaimed labor, which provides more favorable conditions for optimizing the process of psychological support and assistance to the unemployed youth taking into account the specifics of the subjective and psychological profile of their personality.

487-490

Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Vol. 80, No. 3, 2022, PEC

237

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Contents, Vol. 80, No. 2, 2022, PEC

242-255

Authors: Saheed Ayodeji Adejimi, Wenceslas Nzabalirwa, William A. Shivoga

Biology is a core and required science subject offered at the upper secondary school level in the Nigerian educational system. However, students’ attitude towards the subject is poor, a trend probably due to the use of teacher-centred educational strategies. Scholars have thus advocated for the need to adopt innovative educational strategies to enhance students’ attitude towards biology. This study investigated the use of consensus and cooperative reflective journal writing educational strategies in enhancing students’ attitudes towards biology in two Local Government Areas (LGAs) within Ibadan Metropolis of Oyo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative pre-test-post-test, control group quasi-experimental design involving a 3x2 factorial matrix, with a positivist paradigm. Purposive sampling was used to select six schools across the LGAs while an intact class of upper secondary school II students was selected from each of the schools for a total of 305 participants. Two instruments, the Biology Attitude Questionnaire (BAQ) and the Students’ Verbal Ability Test (SVAT) were used during the study. The data generated were analysed using the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). Results showed that, treatments enhance students’ attitudes toward biology. Results also revealed that students’ verbal ability has effect on students’ attitudes toward biology. The interaction between treatment and verbal ability was not significant to enhance students’ attitudes toward biology. The two strategies, therefore, enhanced students’ attitude towards Biology in the two LGAs within Ibadan metropolis of Oyo State, Nigeria. The two strategies should therefore be adopted in teaching Biology to upper secondary school students in Nigeria and elsewhere.

273-288

Authors: Johan Bäcklund, Martin Hugo, Kerstin Ericson

The transition from analogue campus-based learning to digital distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic affected our society in many ways. This study set out to explore the experiences of 30 pre-service teachers when transitioning to digital distance learning. The pre-service teachers (PSTs) participated in a series of focus-group interviews that were subsequently analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results indicate that the transition to digital distance learning worked well and that the technology that was used performed satisfactorily. However, the PSTs experienced both opportunities and obstacles with respect to distance learning. The opportunities associated with digital distance learning were reported to be instantiated by teacher-led ‘flipped classroom’ teaching sessions and the additional freedom that was enjoyed by the PSTs (in both space and time). An obstacle associated with digital learning was the feeling that important aspects of interpersonal interaction disappeared. The PSTs remained sedentary and isolated at home, and the learning experience became somewhat dysfunctional when the teaching was not clearly structured and teacher-lead. The study concludes that it is not possible to replace IRL (‘in real life’) teaching entirely with digital distance learning. However, the results suggest that a hybrid form of teaching or elements of digital teaching can work well as a complement to future campus-based courses.

304-323

Authors: Nitza Davidovitch, Roman Yavich

The last two decades have seen significant growth in e-Learning in many institutions, with the main growth engine being significant development of technologies providing access to information. These technologies have dramatically changed how societies and individuals communicate. The current study examined whether the paradigm of good teaching dimensions customary in the research literature can predict students’ self-efficacy and social-academic climate in e-Learning. For this purpose, 147 students from different academic institutions were sampled and asked to choose one course they had studied online, completing a questionnaire on their experience of the course. The questionnaire was divided into four sub-topics, where at first the participants were asked to answer several demographic questions and the rest of the questions were divided by the research variables as follows: the first group of questions dealt with perceived self-efficacy; the second group dealt with the teaching dimensions presented in Hativa’s (2015) theory, from which select teaching behaviors were extracted. In the final part, the questionnaire examined the social-academic climate during the course. The research results show correlations between the research variables and some of the demographic variables. The higher the respondent’s age and years of schooling, the higher the lecturer’s evaluation. Furthermore, men were found to rank lecturers on teaching dimensions significantly lower than did women. Respondent self-efficacy rose with age and years of schooling. Moreover, the higher the participants’ age, the more positive the climate reported, and women tended to rank classroom climate higher than did men.

339-352

Authors: Kizito Ndihokubwayo, Fidele Ukobizaba, Edwin Byusa, Jean Claude Rukundo

The present study explored the issues related to subject combinations choice at advanced level secondary schools in Rwanda. Three schools with various subject combinations were conveniently selected from three districts in Rwanda. Two hundred and thirty-eight participants, including 211 students (grade 10 to 12), three director of studies (DOS), and 24 teachers, were selected purposively to participate in this study. A survey questionnaire for students, interviews with DOS, and focus group discussions with teachers were employed to collect qualitative and quantitative data for triangulation purposes. For instance, a questionnaire was used to reveal students' choice of their subject combinations, a DOS interview to learn how combinations are assigned to students, and teacher FGD to learn difficulties students face due to assigned subjects. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis methods. The results analysis revealed that some students studied what they chose, while others were given what to study based on their performance or influenced by their parents' preferences. Therefore, students reported that they struggled to perform successfully at A' level while they used to perform well at the O' level. It was noticed that what some students learn at A' level have a negative effect on their future life. This study recommends that (i) the career development stakeholders should sensitize students about the impact of the wrong choice, (ii) Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) should train career guides to help students choose their best combinations, and (iii) students' interests should be given preference than their performance.

371-385

Authors: Jelena Osmanović Zajić, Jelena Maksimović, Nedeljko M. Milanović

Reflective practitioner teachers should critically review their own work and introduce innovations that should improve everyday educational practice. For this reason, the focus of the research is on the personal and professional empowerment of reflective practitioner teachers during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. 355 teachers from the Republic of Serbia participated. The empirical research used descriptive methods and techniques of scaling and surveying with an instrument specially constructed for the needs of this research - Questionnaire with assessment scale (RP-COV-19). The results show that the most common form of empowerment is attending online seminars, while teachers rarely attended online classes of colleagues from the school where they work and colleagues from other schools. Teachers' perceptions on the use of the Internet in the aspect of personal and professional empowerment are very positive. Teachers generally rate their training and engagement during the pandemic with the highest marks (four and five), while there were no negative marks at all. Reflexivity accompanied by personal and professional empowerment must be given priority by teachers, because in today's process of education, reflective practitioners are considered successful teachers.