Problems of Education in the 21st Century

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