scholarly journals Benchmarking of the English Language Component of the Mature Students’ Entrance Examinations in Ghana against the WASSCE English Language Component

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Ramos Asafo-Adjei
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Entrance Examination ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Entrance Examinations ◽  
Mature Students ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Basic Language ◽  
Multiple Case

This paper was purposed on benchmarking the English language component of the Mature Students’ Entrance Examinations (MSEE) (administered in Ghana by universities to select undergraduate candidates) to the English language component of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) which constitutes the mainstream Ghanaian university undergraduate entrance examination. The qualitative design (specifically, multiple case study design) was employed for this study. Using the multi-stage sampling technique, six Ghanaian universities (from whom eighteen English language component of the MSEE past questions were elicited) and three sets of the WASSCE English language component past questions administered in 2016, 2017 and 2018) were used for the study. O’Leary’s (2014) eight steps of conducting document analysis were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that there are major mismatches between the two sets of examinations in the areas of the test types, the basic language skills tested and the competences tested. The study advanced, to policy makers, suggestions such as testing Speaking and Listening for the improvement of the two sets of examinations.   Received: 2 May 2021 / Accepted: 15 June 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

scholarly journals Testing the Four Basic Language Skills in the English Language Component of the Mature Students' Entrance Examinations: The Case of Six Ghanaian Universities

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Ramos Asafo-Adjei
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Entrance Examinations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mature Students ◽  
Basic Language ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Listening And Speaking ◽  
Time Limitations

This study focused on the Mature Students’ Entrance Examinations (MSEE) which is a commonly used Ghanaian university placement examination. The fundamental aim was to evaluate the comprehensiveness of the English language component of the examination in the area of the four basic language skills (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening) tested. A second objective of the study was to explore the reasons behind the choices of the basic language skills tested in the MSEE. The multiple case study design was employed for this study, and the sources of data used were responses from in-depth interviews and the past questions. The data were subjected to analysis via thematic content analysis and document analysis respectively. The analysis highlights the specific contents of the past questions and their related basic language skills tested, as well as the reasons underlying the basic language skills tested. The results revealed that only two of the basic language skills (Reading and Writing) were tested, and time limitations and logistical challenges informed lecturers’ decisions not to test Speaking and Listening. The study recommends that Listening and Speaking tasks be incorporated into the examination to make it comprehensive.   Received: 2 September 2021 / Accepted: 16 November 2021 / Published: 5 January 2022

Territorial capital as a company intangible

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariachiara Barzotto ◽  
Giancarlo Corò ◽  
Mario Volpe
Keyword(s):  
Great Difficulty ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capital Growth ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
A Company

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to explore to what extent being located in a territory is value-relevant for a company. Second, to understand if a company is aware of, and how it can sustain, the territorial tangible and intangible assets present in the economic area in which it is located. Design/methodology/approach – The study presents an empirical multiple case-study, investigating ten mid-/large-sized Italian companies in manufacturing sectors. Findings – The results indicate that the sampled manufacturing companies are intertwined with the environment in which they are embedded, both in their home country and in host ones. The domestic territorial capital has provided, and still provides, enterprises with workers endowed with the necessary technical skills that they can have great difficulty in finding in other places. In turn, companies support territorial capital generation through their activities. Research limitations/implications – To increase the generalisability of the results, future research should expand the sample and examine firms based in different countries and sectors. Practical implications – Implications for policy makers: developing effective initiatives to support and guide a sustainable territorial capital growth. Implications for managers and investors: improving managerial and investors’ decisions by disclosing a complete picture of the enterprise, also outside the firm boundaries. Originality/value – The study contributes to intangibles/intellectual capital literature by shedding light on the importance of including territorial capital in a company’s report to improve the definition of the firm’s value. Accounting of the territorial capital would increase the awareness of the socio-economic environment value in which companies are located and its use.

scholarly journals Exploring the Writing Challenges Faced by M.Phil. and Ph.D. Scholars: A Case

2021 ◽  
Vol VI (IV) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Hina Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Saeed
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Interactive Programming ◽  
Report Quality ◽  
Grammatical Errors ◽  
Language Courses

Academic writing plays a pivotal role in developing research proposals. The present study aimed to explore the grammatical errors that M.Phil/PhDs scholars commit in academic writing. The present study employed a qualitative case study designed to explore the challenges in the English language faced by the M.Phil and PhDs scholars. The 20 Ph.D. and 36 M.Phil scholars were selected by busing purposive sampling technique. Data were collected by using two self-developed semi-structured interviews protocol. Thematic analysis approach was employed for data analysis. The findings revealed that all the participants reported that correct use of tenses was a big hurdle that entailed the other grammatical mistakes and reduced the report quality because all the lexical aspects are linked with these mechanics. The study recommended that English language courses be offered to postgraduate, M. Phil and Ph.D. scholars to learn the technical aspects of the language and provide students with online interactive programming.

Succession Planning in Family-Owned Business Evidence From an Emerging Economy

2022 ◽  
pp. 504-528
Author(s):  
Muhammad Arslan
Keyword(s):  
Succession Planning ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
The Family ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Generational Succession

Family-owned businesses (FOBs) play an important role in the economy of a country through the creation of jobs. However, most FOBs lack strategies regarding succession planning in both developed and developing economies. This study explores the strategies that are used by FOBs to prepare future leaders. Drawing on qualitative research design, this study employed a multiple case study approach and selected 13 cases by employing a purposive sampling technique from the FOBs of Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the successors of FOBs. The findings reveal that succession planning is pivotal for the development of business and the successful transition of FOB from one generation to another. Most of the respondents fully understand the importance of succession planning for the sustainability of the business. However, in some cases, socioemotional aspects of generational succession planning require strategies that concurrently focus on successor suitability, the consensus of the family, mode of transition, leadership, and challenges faced by the FOBs.

scholarly journals Identifying Digital Transformation Paths in the Business Model of SMEs during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Anjar Priyono ◽  
Abdul Moin ◽  
Vera Nur Aini Oktaviani Putri
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
High Level ◽  
Medium Enterprises

The objective of this study was to analyze how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) cope with environmental changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic by pursuing the business model transformation with the support of digital technologies. To achieve the objective, this study used a multiple case study design with qualitative analysis to examine the data obtained from interviews, observation, and field visits. Seven manufacturing SMEs from Indonesia were selected using a theoretical sampling technique, with the purpose of achieving some degree of variation to allow us to undertake replication logic. Our analysis demonstrates that SMEs adopt a different degree of digital transformations, which can be summarized into three paths, depending on the firms’ contextual factors. First, SMEs with a high level of digital maturity who respond to the challenges by accelerating the transition toward digitalized firms; second, SMEs experiencing liquidity issues but a low level of digital maturity who decide to digitalize the sales function only; and, third, the SMEs that have very limited digital literacy but are supported by a high level of social capital. This last group of firms solves the challenges by finding partners who possess excellent digital capabilities. The qualitative case study method allows us to conduct in-depth and detailed analysis, but has thin generalizability. To address this limitation, future research can use a survey covering various industries to test the proposed theory that has resulted from this study, so that the generalizability can be assured.

scholarly journals Managing the Complexity through New Forms of Financial Reporting: A Multiple Case Study on Italian Public Museums

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Virginia Milone ◽  
Simone Pizzi
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Economic Report ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
New Form ◽  
Public Museums ◽  
High Degree

During recent years, an increasing number of studies have started to discuss the introduction of new form of reports in public administration. Furthermore, the attention paid by academics has been favoured by the introduction of a new form of regulation by policy makers. Specifically, a large part of these studies has regarded the heritage sector due to its high degree of complexity. The attention paid to the heritage sector has been driven by the existence of asymmetries between the value of cultural assets and the profitability of institutions. According to this evidence, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Italian Integrated Economic Report (IER). Our research highlights that the adoption of managerial reports, such as the IER, could provide useful insights for policy makers in order to invest their financial resources in a more effective way.

A Boolean Analysis of Structural and Organizational Determinants of Equality and Efficiency Balance in Higher Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 791-821
Author(s):  
Reza Hemmati ◽  
Rasoul Abbasi Taghidizaj
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Organizational Determinants

Abstract Efficiency and equality are both important goals and values in higher education, and their concurrency (balance) has been one of the main concerns of higher education scholars and policy makers over the past decades. The aim of the present study is to discover the causal mechanism and contextual factors that are likely to result in concurrency of equality and efficiency in higher education. To this end, the combination of two explanatory theories of equality and efficiency were used. The theory of equality focused on three dimensions of equal opportunities, modernization, and cultural differences. Likewise, to explain efficiency, Chalabi’s three-level causal model of sustainable production of science was used. Methodologically, a multiple case study method was adopted, and the cases under study (nine countries) were selected based on purposive sampling. The findings showed that for the concurrency of equality and efficiency in higher education, a set of conditions must be present in the configurational and combinational causality. The preconditions for this concurrency is the presence of some social conditions such as productive economy, the rule of law, inter-societies competitiveness, social cohesion, democracy, universalism, egalitarianism (at macro level), meritocracy, academic autonomy, and organizational competitiveness (at the meso level) and the absence of some other conditions including fatalism (at the macro level).

scholarly journals EXPLORING REASONS BEHIND JOINING ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTERS (ELC): A CASE STUDY OF PASHTO SPEAKING UNDERGRADUATES IN QUETTA CITY

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zainab Akram, Hina Arfeen, Khadija Karim
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
Good Environment ◽  
Instrumental Reasons

English language centers prove to be very helpful in being one of the major contributors of English language learning in expanding circle countries of concentric model introduced by Kachru (1989). This study undertakes the theory presented by Stephen Kreshan (1981, 1982) “monitor model” which is basically amalgamation of five hypotheses. This very endeavor was done through quantitative mode of inquiry utilizing survey questionnaire as an instrument for data collection. Total population was Pashto speaker students of Quetta city and sample size comprised of 100 undergraduates, particularly, the Pashto speakers, from Quetta city. Collected data was analyzed through SPSS software. The Findings show various reasons behind students joining English language centers. Some of them include good environment of ELC, along with several academic, personal, and instrumental reasons. It is recommended that in future the research could be expanded to multiple case studies comprising Pashto speakers and multilingual, longitudinal research and comparative study between teaching English at school and language centers.   

scholarly journals The Practices and Obstacles of English Language Teaching in Intellectual Disability Classroom: A Case Study at Special School (SLB) in Palembang

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Dalilan ◽  
Eka Sartika ◽  
Deyana Indah Lestari
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Mental Condition ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Learning English

Individuals with disabilities learn with difficulties such as physical, emotional, mental, and social deficiencies. In a limited physical and mental condition, they are faced with problems in learning, particularly in learning English. This study aims at revealing practices and obstacles in learning English in an intellectual disability classroom that affected the teaching practices. A case study method was used in this study. This study's participants were two teachers at SLB-C Tuna Grahita Palembang selected by a typical sampling technique. The observation and interview were used to collect data regarding realized practices and obstacles in teaching English to students with intellectual disabilities. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study results indicated that English language teaching practices in intellectual disability classrooms were similar to the regular ones but more oriented to students' needs. The obstacles of English language teaching were affected by intellectual disability students' limitations in writing, reading, speaking, listening skills, and heterogeneous ability.

scholarly journals THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STUDENTS’ SELF-CONFIDENCE AND THEIR ENGLISH-SPEAKING PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY OF ENGLISH-MAJORED STUDENTS AT A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anh Tuan Pham ◽  
Hieu Trung Hong ◽  
Tien Thuy Chau ◽  
Nhi Vo Anh Le ◽  
Phuc Thuy Thy Tran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Private University ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Speaking Performance

<p>This research aimed to discover the relationships between students' self-confidence and their English-speaking performance. In our research, self-confidence was divided into three components which are affective confidence, behavioral confidence, and cognitive confidence. In addition, speaking performance included eight components which are vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, fluency, coherence, comprehension, task, and content. A sample of 150 English-majored students at a university in Vietnam was surveyed in this study by using a convenience sampling technique, and then conducting semi-structured interviews to seek for qualitative information from 10 participants out of 150. The result from our study showed that there are significant relationships between the two variables. The more confident the students are, the more accomplished they would be in the presenting procedure since they have superior cognition and understand how to modify their learning methods to build a comprehensive individual in learning English language. We expect that these findings can help students adjust their learning methods to improve their self-confidence as well as English speaking performance and by that way, universities can add more speaking-related subjects so that students can have more opportunities to speak and learn more speaking skills.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0870/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

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