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

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

STUDY-LIFE BALANCE AND MATURE STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE CASE OF OXFORD BUSINESS COLLEGE, UNITED KINGDOM

<p>A number of studies and cases have brought to light the challenges and barriers mature students face as they embark on a course of study. Yet there is no agreed definition of the term ‘mature student’. The first part of this paper presents several definitions of the term found in the contemporary literature. The two prevailing criteria are the typical constraints mature students face while studying and student age. In our study, a survey questionnaire was distributed electronically to 64 mature students at Oxford Business College during August 2021. Our research found that the most concerning issue for those who took part in our survey during the Covid-19 pandemic was reconciling financial obligations associated with education and family responsibilities. This may be a consequence of increased job insecurity during the pandemic. However, only one-third of the mature students in our study said they had significant difficulties in balancing study with other commitments, and slightly more than one fifth had experienced extreme or significant amounts of stress. Most students had succeeded in finding the right balance, albeit with minor difficulties. Interestingly, the results of our correlation analysis showed that stress in managing activities was unrelated to gender and age, while absence from full-time education was significantly positively related to age and unrelated to gender. Stress in managing activities correlated positively with balancing study-related obligations with other life commitments. This result shows that higher levels of stress lead to greater difficulties in achieving a balance between study and other life activities. Furthermore, associations between the period of absence from full-time education prior to enrolment on the current study program and gender and age were statistically insignificant. The results of our multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender and age together explained a statistically significant percentage of variance in stress levels. Additionally, absence from full-time formal education accounted for 2% of the total score variance in stress caused by managing different activities. This finding indicates that longer periods of time spent out of formal education predict higher levels of stress among mature students later on. As we start to move beyond the pandemic, almost two-thirds of respondents said they would prefer lessons to be delivered online once the Covid-19 pandemic is over, while only a minority of them prefer traditional classroom-based lessons (on-campus). This is perhaps no surprise given the substantial time-saving advantages of online learning, the scarcest resource for mature students. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0894/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

THE CHALLENGES THAT KAZAKHSTANI GRADUATE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE WITH ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING IN ENGLISH

Since Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991, several English medium universities have appeared in the country. These universities were created to educate a new generation of thinkers and change agents who will lead Kazakhstan in concordance with the new global tendencies and directions. The staff and faculty members to serve at these universities were invited from across the world. It has been around 29 years since the official launch of the first English medium university in the country; however, there is no research on how students cope with reading and writing in their L3, after Kazakh and Russian. Against this backdrop, a team of professors and researchers of Nazarbayev University, KIMEP University, and Suleyman Demirel University have designed a study to examine graduate students’ struggle with academic reading and writing at English medium universities in Kazakhstan. This article elicits early findings related to graduate students’ challenges in reading and writing obtained from an online survey. This study employed a mixed-method approach. Graduate students’ perceptions of reading and writing in English were obtained through an online survey comprising closed- and open-ended questions. The result of quantitative data was analyzed employing inferential statistics. The total number of respondents is 269. The findings of the study reveal that Kazakhstani graduate students face several challenges in reading and writing although they have obtained the required scores in their IELTS and TOEFL tests. They asserted that reading in English is challenging because the ideas, concepts, and terminologies used in academic papers are difficult to grasp. The study confirms that there is no significant difference in challenges among genders; however, in terms of age, more mature students respond to challenges less stressfully compared to their younger counterparts.

English Language Component of the Mature Students’ Entrance Examinations into Ghanaian Universities: Placement, Diagnostic or Both?

One way that Ghanaian universities admit undergraduate students is an examination organised for candidates who are twenty-five years and above. This examination is known as the Mature Students’ Entrance Examinations (MSEE). This paper argues that the English language component of the MSEE should not only be used for placement purposes, but, also, for diagnostic purposes. A desk survey approach to research was adopted involving 43 relevant literature which were reviewed and synthesised. The study indicates that academic writing, referred to as Communication Skills, falls under the domain of English for Academic Purposes in an English as a Second Language setting like Ghana. It is further advanced that Communication Skills is essential for the performance of students in school. The paper, therefore, argues for the English language component of the MSEE to be used not only for placement purposes but for diagnostic purposes. The study recommends that the latter approach should be included since it will help improve the performances of students in Communication Skills. Received: 4 March 2021 / Accepted: 6 May 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

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

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

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.

An overview on Islamic lifelong learning in Brunei Darussalam

Since 19th Century, Brunei Darussalam has conducted Islamic Lifelong Learning formally and non-formally which has been referred to as the Adult Religious Class. The class is offered to mature students who had never attended or finished their formal religious education. The modules taught are mostly focused on al-Quran literacy skills and basic Islamic studies. Although these classes have been practiced for a long time, the term Islamic Lifelong Learning is still an uncommon term in the sultanate. Hence, this study proposes to explore and discover the term “Islamic Lifelong Learning” in the context of Brunei Darussalam. The study is based on documents review and analysis from past researchers and official websites. Furthermore, the findings have suggested that various classes have been established in Lifelong Learning which can be known as “Islamic Lifelong Learning”. Thus, the paper concludes that Islamic Lifelong Learning is a part of an ongoing learning in Brunei Darussalam which has been implemented and conducted either in mosques, balais, universities or institutes with particular Islamic modules consists of ‘Aqīdah, Sharī‘ah and Akhlāq.