World Journal of Education

1-10

Authors: Majed Gharmallah Alzahrani

This study aims to investigate student satisfaction with using online discussion forums (ODFs). It also aims to examine the relationships between student satisfaction with using ODFs and student demographics as well as with their experience with ICT and online education. Data are collected from 2171 students from four leading universities at Saudi Arabia through using an online survey. Overall, the results indicate that students are satisfied with using ODFs in their learning. In addition, student satisfaction with using ODFs had significant relationships with the majority of student demographics and experience with ICT variables. Interestingly, all student experience with online education variables had significant and positive relationships with student satisfaction with using ODFs. However, factors such the availability of the Internet, preference of traditional learning, life commitments, and experience with ICT and online education may affect student satisfaction with using ODFs.

19-30

Authors: Kyoko Taniguchi

This study identifies individual, family, and school factors associated with student mobility. Specifically, for Grade 5 students, parents alive and school location were associated with transfer. For students in Grade 7, gender differences, levels of achievement, feelings about school, number of household tasks, distance to school, and parental habits of paying school fees were related to student mobility. Also, school location and mean number of grade repetitions for the institution are correlated with Grade 7 student mobility. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions about educational policy regarding transfer.

39-49

Authors: Konstantinos Zacharis

The establishment of a competitive, meritocratic and engaging culture inside the educational system is one of the crucial elements that will determine not only its survival but also its evolution as a vault of social progress and cultural elevation. Within this frame, mechanisms that can establish new relationships for excellence and innovation inside educational organizations are examined and therefore these can become future gnomons. A correlation of data from a three-year institution award records, provided by the Greek Ministry of Education, is being attempted, in order to mine information about the specific characteristics of the eminent institutions. The gain of similar practices for the school community is doublefold: at first, it measures accurately enough, on a scientific basis, the impact and progressiveness on the community and secondly it safely sketches its future status by projecting on the most popular and easily implemented features. In the meantime, there is a growing discussion on how these radical changes could be assimilated by the majority of schools, if one imposes them in a top-down policy or if one awaits until they emerge from a cooperative and social responsible action of the school unit level. A new parameter in the idea of excellence is the newly established pilot-experimental schools, which operate already in a completely novel institutional environment. Among the objectives of the ministry of education is to confide in them a major role, that of “locomotives of excellence”, throughout the whole country. The idea of “excellence”, though quite old, has been severely criticized by members of the community. It is the duty of a research to assess the contemporary role of that notion in education, defining its strengths and weaknesses.

65-73

Authors: Atallah A Roud, Mohammad Qomoul

The study aimed to investigate the Degree of Availability of Good Teacher Characteristics Among English Language (EL) Teachers of Basic Stage Schools from Their Principals’ views in Tafila Governorate. This could be achieved through answering the following questions: 1-What is the degree of availability of good teacher characteristics among English Language (EL) teachers of basic stage schools from their principals’ views in Tafila Governorate? 2-Are there statistically significant differences attributed to the variables of teacher’s gender, and experience?. The sample consisted of (89) male and female teachers which forms about 55% chosen randomly from the population of the study. The results showed that there is a significant difference attributed to gender and no significant difference attributed to experience or to the interaction of experience and gender. The study found some recommendations.