Teaching Methods and Quality of Business Studies Textbook in Secondary Schools in Kenya

Well-structured business studies textbook provides enjoyable episodes of knowledge creation which promotes achievement learning outcome for sustained academic results. Business textbook represents potentially implemented curriculum as its vehicle through which intended curriculum is availed to learner encouraging achievement of learning objectives. However, adopting methodology that does not facilitate achievement of specific objectives may limit knowledge construction degrading learner’s mean score. The study adopted is exploratory research design. Data collected were both quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data were analyzed through counts, percentages, means, standard deviations and Chi square tests while Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Cross tabulation results further indicated that teaching methods significantly influence quality of textbook implying that appropriate teaching methods supports achievement of learning. It was also found that presentation, visuals and differentiated instruction influence quality of instruction content encouraging learning. Therefore, it is recommended that teaching method selected should be learner centered to accelerate learning.

Technology education in academic bildung

Recent studies have acknowledged the pedagogical challenges posed by digital technologies in higher education (HE) and the need to expand teacher professional development. In this paper, we present the first conceptualization of Teknosofikum, a three-year project funded by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, aimed at promoting HE teachers’ professional development in technology education. The goal of the project is to develop an interdisciplinary course for in-service HE teachers in Denmark, through design-based research in three iterations (2020-2023). The paper draws on data from the preparation phase at first iteration, including definition of intended curriculum, content development with subject experts, and learning activities design. A sociomaterial perspective is adopted, informed by STS, critical design and feminist studies. Through these theoretical lenses, professional technology education is understood in Teknosofikum as situated knowledge about the relationship between technology and society, translated into practice through an approach of critical relational pedagogy.

Curriculum for Resiliency: Supporting a Diverse Range of Students’ Needs in Grade 9 Mathematics

This study describes the work of one high school team in designing, developing, supporting, and field-testing a new course to support numeracy and general learning skills for a particularly diverse population of students. The rationale, curriculum design, and pilot implementation of the course are situated in existing curriculum structures and recent research around best practices in mathematics teaching and learning, particularly with respect to vulnerable students. The study sought to explore the role and responsibilities of the course designer and teacher, as well as her perception of the challenges and benefits of a custom-designed course for this group of students. The results suggested that the crucial role of the classroom teacher in supporting students emotionally when implementing the intended curriculum for vulnerable students cannot be underscored enough. For such students, teacher-student relationships appeared to be the most important factor in student success, far eclipsing other factors.

Learning Professional Knowledge: Bachelor Nursing Students’ Experiences in Learning and Knowledge Quality Outcomes in a Competence-Based Curriculum

Since decades, nursing education struggles with a persistent gap between the theoretical knowledge offered in the study program and its application in professional practice. To bridge this gap competence-based curricula were developed with instructional designs as authentic learning contexts and self-directed learning. In this project we explored final year Bachelor Nursing (BN) students’ experiences in learning in a newly developed curriculum, and their knowledge quality outcomes and the degree of agreement with knowledge requirements. An instrumental multiple case study was conducted with interviews, concept mapping and a domain knowledge list. Results show that a third of the participants had positive learning experiences and got high appraisals for their knowledge quality. Similar to the medium and low scoring participants, they developed instrumental knowledge but integrated other forms of learning into a system of meaning, which is needed to solve non-routine problems in future practice. Medium and low scoring participants did not profit from learning in authentic contexts and self-directed learning. In conclusion, developing sufficient professional knowledge in a constructivist competence-based curriculum is influenced by students’ intrinsic motivation to build a strong knowledge base, by their perception of how to learn and use professional knowledge, and their expectations of the degree of supervision and guidance by the teacher. It is recommended to evaluate the extent to which the intended curriculum is being taught.

Designing a developmental progression to assess students’ conceptual understandings by focusing on the language demands in Science

Few would argue the value of learning progressions in providing useful structures for selecting and sequencing in a developmental manner the key components of an ‘intended curriculum’. Yet, there are pervading issues around what is meant by a developmental sequence, along with how they are used to assess what learners know, understand and can do. One key oversight in Science is recognising the role of technical and non-technical language in student conceptual development. This article reports on the construction of a hypothesised learning progression that identifies students’ progress in understanding essential concepts in the Chemical Sciences from Foundation to Year 6. It is based upon an extensive analysis of the technical and non-technical language of the Australian Curriculum: Science. The progression was constructed by focusing upon learner-appropriate language and scientific understanding with the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome model ( Pegg, 2018 ) providing the theoretical basis for ensuring systematic and objective rigour in the resultant developmental progression.

Gauging the educational efficacy of geometrical manipulatives in teaching the curriculum contents

This study examines the condition on whether or not there is an advantage on integrating manipulatives in the instruction against traditional teaching involving concept building and students’ performance in geometry. To well achieve this objective, 48 Grade-9 students from a remote public school and island in the Philippines were invited and were then divided into control and experiment groups. After such inferences, empirical results showed that there was no significant mean difference on the scores between the two groups, which implies that one method does not outperform the other. Indeed, post-evaluation revealed that there are other variables which trigger the variation of scores from these groups, respectively, as shared by the subjects themselves. Thus, it is proposed that future relevant researches, shall peek into those variables that can nonetheless support the efficacy of intended curriculum contents and correspondingly address the diverse learning styles. Keywords: Education, manipulative, mathematics, remote island;

RELIGIOUS MODERATION IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION LEARNING TO COUNTER RADICALISM: Study at SMAN 1 Sugihwaras Bojonegoro

Among the negative impacts of advances in digital technology is the spread of false information based on religion which plays a role in shaping young people to become radicalized and justifying violence for religious solidarity. Efforts should be made to internalize the values of religious moderation in Islamic Education learning (PAI) in schools, so that students are able to understand, live and practice moderate Islamic values according to the Islamic vision, namely Islam Raḥmat li al-Âlamîn. This research is a descriptive qualitative research with the object of research at SMAN 1 Sugihwaras Bojonegoro. Data obtained through interviews, documentation, and observation. The data analysis technique used Miles and Huberman's model in the form of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The data validity used triangulation technique. The findings show that the internalization of religious moderation in Islamic education learning to counter radicalism can be started by determining educational policies and objectives, as well as through the design of a the prescribed/intended curriculum and a hidden curriculum. Meanwhile, the contribution of religious moderation in general is to mature students' intellectual, mental and social skills as multicultural social beings with respect for diversity and a willingness to cooperate fairly with anyone.

Quality and quantity : gender representation in teacher discourse and kindergarten math curriculum

We know that women are underrepresented in math-intensive fields despite marginal gender differences in mathematical performance. Some researchers believe that societal factors contribute to this problem and have called for more nuanced methodologies to examine why underrepresentation and gender stereotypes about math continue to persist. The purpose of this study was to examine what messages teachers and instructional materials convey in a kindergarten mathematics classroom through discourse analysis of the intended curriculum and teacher perceptions guided by the following research questions: (1) How does the Everyday Mathematics kindergarten curriculum and supplemental curriculum materials position and write about girls in comparison to boys? and (2) How do teachers describe girls in comparison to boys and position them when discussing their beliefs about mathematics instruction and equity in the kindergarten classroom? Findings from the intended curriculum and teacher interviews include: (1) teachers and curriculum predominantly use inclusive and non-gendered language, (2) teachers and curriculum represent girls and boys similarly; however, subtle gender bias in language and illustrations persists. Further examination of subtle gender bias revealed that boys are privileged in language and illustrations, and that intentional non-stereotypical representations of girls are more prevalent than non-stereotypical representations of boys. In conclusion, teachers and curriculum materials represent girls and boys more equitably than found in previous studies; however, subtle gender bias persists. These findings extend conversations of diversity and inclusion currently conducted at the study site by intentionally focusing on gender in addition to other identities. In turn, curriculum developers could consider less privileging of boys in language and illustrations, and teachers and curriculum writers could more intentionally represent both girls and boys more frequently in non-stereotypical roles and ways.

Exploring EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of Enacted Curriculum in Jordan: Towards Integration Curriculum Development with Teacher Education

This study investigated EFL teachers’ perception of the enacted curriculum, the status of the intended curriculum, and the challenges faced by teachers, while implementing the curriculum. A qualitative design was used and 15 teachers were interviewed to discover their perceptions of the enacted curriculum. Our results revealed that there is a misalignment between the intended curriculum and the enacted curriculum Participants continued to teach in a manner, which was inconsistent with the curriculum reforms, and teachers faced several challenges, that compelled them to teach in a traditional manner.

ANALYSIS OF LEARNING DIFFICULTIES WITH FRACTIONS IN THREE AFRICAN COUNTRIES: FOCUSING ON THE SCOPE, SEQUENCE AND MODELS OF FRACTIONS

Purpose: This study aims to compare and analyze learning content with regard to fractions, the order in which that content is taught in primary school mathematics curricula, and how it is presented in textbooks in three eastern and southern African countries, Zambia, Ethiopia, and Mozambique as well as to clarify the characteristics of the instruction concerning fraction in each of these countries. Methodology: Firstly, we refer to the curriculum to extract information about the learning contents and their order in each grade. Secondly, concerning the meaning of fractions, we refer to the textbooks since we cannot clearly judge from the description in the curriculum. Thirdly, we focus on the common points and differences among the three countries and analyze the causes of difficulty in learning fractions. Findings: There is a significant discrepancy between the grades in learning fractions among the three countries. In addition, the learning order differs to a certain degree. A common feature of the three countries regarding the order is the multiplication and division of fractions. For all three countries, while the addition and subtraction of fractions and types of fractions are handled separately by different grades, the multiplication and division are all taught in one grade. Further, how the meaning of fractions is taught is common to all three countries. In all the countries, the part-whole concept of fractions is mainly employed, and the fraction as measurement concept is not taught at all. Unfortunately, since children learn without considering fractions as measurements, their understanding of fractions will be limited. Unique contribution to theory, practice, and policy: Regarding fraction, basic research on the teaching content and their order in African countries have not been conducted extensively. While improving the quality of education is a common goal globally, it is paramount to analyze the difficulty in learning fractions from the perspectives of the intended curriculum and textbook. The result will be the implication for revising the curriculum and suggestions for teaching fractions.