LEGACY OF PATRIARCHAL GOD AND THE POLITICS OF MYTH-MAKING: LOCATING THE GENDERED POSITION IN RELIGIOUS VISUAL ART

This essay discusses how the imagination of women in India is framed up by the gender-biased mythical representations. By looking at the mythical representations that are circulated through centuries in many popular mages, paintings and calendar-portraits, a discursive pattern can be found that has positioned women in a secondary level, belonging to men. The family itself becomes a political site in the process of normalizing women’s submissiveness to men by comparing their actions with the Goddesses. By interrogating the gendered position of Goddess like Lakshmi and her male counterpart Lord Vishnu, this essay attempts to problematize with the mode of representation in religious visual images. I conclude by arguing that these religious representations in visual images have negative impact on the Hindu women, especially, in rural areas and thus keep the unhealthy gender role intact in Indian society.

Effectiveness of ultrasound screening for placenta accreta spectrum using standard ultrasound criteria in a secondary care setting

Objectives: Ultrasound detection of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) among women at risk is a key goal to reduce obstetric morbidity, but there is scarce information of its performance in real clinical settings. We report the effectiveness of a standardized ultrasound protocol to detect PAS in women with placenta previa in a secondary-level hospital. Methods: A retrospective analysis, including a cohort of 126 women with persistent placenta previa among 27,975 pregnancies between 2008 and 2020. All 126 women underwent standardized transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound assessing 5 criteria: 1) loss of hypoechoic retroplacental zone and/or myometrial thinning <1 mm; 2) lacunar images with flow >15 cm/sec; 3) thick and bulging placenta; 4) thinning or interruption of the uterine-bladder serous interface; and 5) placental or uterovesical hypervascularity. The presence of at least one criterion was considered a high-risk for PAS. Diagnosis of PAS was confirmed during caesarean section and by histopathological analysis. Results: Among 126 women with placenta previa, 11 (8.7%) cases of PAS were diagnosed, of which 10 were detected prenatally by ultrasound. This resulted in a sensitivity of 90,9%, a specificity of 98,3%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 83,3%, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 99,1%. Histopathological assessment showed six placenta increta (54.5%), four percreta (36.4%) and one accreta (9.1%). All 10 cases of invasive placenta presented more than three ultrasound criteria. Conclusions: Standardized ultrasound screening protocol in women at risk due to placenta previa in the third trimester was highly effective in detecting PAS in a secondary-level hospital setting.

The positioning of dual qualification studies in Finnish upper secondary education and government policy since the 1980s

This article explores the positioning of dual qualifications (DQs) in the Finnish education policy and the education system since the late 1980s. The analysis is carried out in the context of academic-vocational divide. At the end of the 1980s, Finland questioned the functionality of the strict academic-vocational divide in post-compulsory education, and a unified upper secondary education was initiated. DQ was the result of two contradictory political discourses: the aim to make education system more equal and the 1990s’ market oriented education policy. In the 2000s, although segregation at the upper secondary level was strengthened, the DQ simultaneously became an established study route. However, in 2007 due to changes in political power, the DQ was repositioned on the periphery of education policy and academic-vocational divide became stronger. The main focus as regards the functions of DQs until the end of the 2010s was on efforts to enhance the use of educational resources and improve the possibilities for individual and flexible education choices. The aim of the current government, elected in 2019, is to strengthen cooperation at upper secondary level, which is also expected to include DQs. However, the actualisation might be mitigated by the educational reforms of the previous government.

Investigating the effect of teacher commitment on student academic achievement

The present work is interested in the resonance of teacher commitment on students' academic commitment and consequently on their academic achievement. It aims to identify the determinants of the commitment of Moroccan teachers at the qualifying secondary level specifically in the Provincial Directorate of National Education of Tangier-Assilah (Morocco), in particular organizational commitment and professional commitment with repercussions on student commitment in its two dimensions: affective, cognitive and its extension on academic achievement. This article has discussed the conceptual and theoretical details as well as the problematic, the main hypotheses and the conceptual model of the research. Then, it has presented the results of the empirical study which is based on a quantitative methodological approach of a positivist hypothetical deductive nature. The data were collected by a questionnaire submitted by e-mail to our study population, which consists of 204 teachers and 380 students of the qualifying secondary level in 29 local public schools of the qualifying secondary cycle in the Provincial Directorate of National Education of Tangier-Assilah (Morocco). The result of our empirical study shows that the teacher commitment had a positive and statistically significant effect on student academic achievement through student engagement in local public schools of the qualifying secondary cycle in the Provincial Directorate of National Education of Tangier-Assilah (Morocco).

Teachers’ Perception and Challenges of Using ICT in Teaching Mathematics at Secondary Level

The main objectives of this study were to identify the teachers’ perceptions and challenges of using ICT tools in the mathematics classroom at the secondary level in Kathmandu. The major tool of the study was a closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 19 items. The quantitative descriptive survey design was used in this study. The researcher selected 158 teachers by using simple random method from 261 government teachers who teach compulsory mathematics at grade X of Kathmandu district in Nepal. The standardized questionnaire was administered to the sample teachers. The SPSS-25 version database was used to analyze and interpret the collected data. Teachers’ perception of using ICTs in the mathematics classroom was positive with insignificant difference in terms of gender. There were some challenges: lack of knowledge, confidence, enough experience, training, interest and access to ICT tools, lack of technical support, lack of genuine ICT Software and unstable and unreliable internet connection at the schools. Due to these challenges, teachers did not use ICT in the classroom. Therefore, teachers should learn more to improve their knowledge and skills in ICT. The government should focus on management strategies and policies to reduce the challenges faced by teachers in mathematics classrooms. By these policies, they can use the ICT tools in the classroom.

Exploring Project-Based Teaching for Engaging Students' Mathematical Learning

The declining interest of learners in mathematics in the learning process has resulted in poor achievement (Yeh et al., 2019). To get rid of these poor achievements, we explored project-based teaching in four topical areas (e.g., mathematical concepts of coordinate geometry, trigonometry, sequence, and series) in the school mathematics. This paper results from observing changes in engagement of learners in learning mathematics by motivating them through the project-based learning (PBL) guided by two theories – knowledge constitutive interests (Habermas, 1972), and collaborative and cooperative learning under the paradigms of interpretivism and criticalism. In this ethos, PBL is an “engaging and learner-directed approach that provides equal opportunities for students to explore their knowledge and understanding” (Thomas, 2000, p. 12). More specifically, we adopted the 'action research' method with the secondary level students (Grade IX) of one of the institutional schools in their classrooms. The information was collected by observing and recording the changes seen in consecutive seventeen days. The research landed that project-based learning is an appropriate pedagogy for engaged learning. The study revealed that the students were motivated while they got opportunities to interact in the projects. Moreover, the findings show that PBL is helpful to engage the learners through questioning, pair/group discussion, discovery learning, and concept mapping.

Teachers’ Perceptions toward using Geography Textbooks: A Study in Secondary Schools in Nepal

This paper is an attempt to examine the teacher’s perception on use of geography textbooks at the secondary school level in the Kathmandu district of Bagmati Province, Nepal. Eight geography teachers who teach geography in community secondary schools were selected purposively. The semi-structured interview and class observation method were used to obtain on the teacher’s perceptions regarding the usages of secondary level geography textbooks. The classroom observation was used to see how teachers used geography textbooks in the classrooms by observation protocol. The interviews were recorded on audio recorder and transcribed it. The data obtained from interviews provided more profound answers and crossed check accuracy of the observational data. After collecting necessary data, analysis of the data acquired from semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were made through the interpretative method by combining different sources of data. The results reveal that geography teachers who had pro-textbook views believed that their teaching could be conducted effectively using the textbooks. By contrast, teachers who had anti-textbook views believe that geography textbook was inadequate and ineffective. Secondary level geography textbooks contain both potential and limitations. The teacher should supplement geography textbooks with other authentic teaching materials to give learners more learning.

Déterminants de l’Usage du Transfert d’Argent Mobile par les Utilisateurs d’Internet Mobile au Mali

Le présent papier analyse les principaux déterminants de l’utilisation des services de transfert d’argent mobile par les internautes maliens en situation mobile. Les données collectées auprès de 1739 individus utilisateurs d’Internet mobile de l’étude du groupe de recherche en économie solidaire et industrielle (GRESI) ont été utilisées. Après avoir implémenté le modèle Logit qui est un modèle de régression binomiale, les résultats montrent qu’avoir un niveau d’instruction inférieur au niveau secondaire, avoir un âge compris entre 15-35 ans et la cherté du coût de connexion jouent négativement sur la probabilité d’utiliser le mobile money via Internet mobile au Mali. Tandis que le revenu, la zone de résidence urbaine, les compétences en informatiques et les professions : ouvrier, entrepreneur, commerçant et agriculteur influencent positivement l’utilisation des services de transfert d’argent mobile par le truchement d’Internet mobile. This paper analyses the main determinants of the use of mobile money transfer services by Malian Internet users in a mobile situation. Data collected from 1739 individual mobile Internet users of the study by the solidarity and industrial economy research group (GRESI) were used. After having implemented the Logit model which is a binomial regression model, our results show that having an education level below secondary level, having an age between 15-35 years old and the high cost of connection have a negative impact on the probability of using mobile money via mobile Internet in Mali. While income, urban area of residence, computer skills and occupations: worker, entrepreneur, trader and farmer positively influence the use of mobile money transfer services through the mobile internet.

Place of Geography in School Level Curriculum

This paper examines the place of geography in the school- level curriculum in Nepal. The rearm curriculum defines as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. Specifically, it is referred to a planned sequence of instruction, or a view of the student'; experiences in terms of the educator; or school's; instructional goals. After the establishment of Durbar High School in Nepal in 1910 and the School Leaving Certificate Board in 1990, the subject of Geography was formally introduced. This subject had recognized as a compulsory subject at the school level curriculum before the NESP. After the NESP (1971), the issue had allocated 50 marks, becoming has becomes an optional subject since 1982. Geographic concepts have been taught after the introduction of the social studies curriculum at the secondary level since 1992.At present, geography is teaching in Nepal as an elective subject from secondary level to higher education. However, this subject seems less of a priority for students than mathematics, computer, and account. For this purpose, data collected from the review of the report published from the Education Commissions, Curriculum Development Center, the records of the National Examination Board, e-resources, and other concerned bodies. This paper concludes that geography subject at the school level is in a crisis. However, with the inclusion of geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial planning in the curriculum from the school level, the future of this subject looks bright.