Effect of Principals’ Emotional Intelligence on Schools’ Academic Performance: A Survey of Nepali Institutional Schools

Emotional intelligence (EI) has become a central concern to carry out any study on leadership and its effectiveness in schools and other institutions. This study was intended to investigate the effect of the principals’ EI on the academic performance of Nepali institutional schools. A sample of 121 principals and 491 teachers from the schools of three districts of Nepal (Jhapa, Kathmandu and Kaski) was drawn following cluster sampling method. The data were collected through Emotional Intelligence Survey Questionnaire. From the data analysis using non-parametric statistical measures, it was revealed that the principals had higher level of emotional intelligence irrespective of their demographic characteristics. The findings indicated that the schools’ principals were emotionally intelligent and effective in maintaining the schools’ academic performance. The findings can lead to conclude that leadership performance can be enhanced in schools by developing emotional intelligence in the principals’ leadership behaviour.

Successful Leadership Practice in School

This paper mainly focuses on successful leadership practices in secondary school. It aims to identify the recent models and theories of successful leadership practice in schools, and explore the experience of school principal regarding successful school leadership in the Nepalese context. A qualitative study was carried out in Gorkha district for the collection of data. A successful head teacher was selected for in-depth interview to explore the perception and experience about successful practice of school leadership. The findings of the study reveal that strong interpersonal skills, people-centered leadership, clear communication of vision and goal, focus on academic achievement, co-curricular activities, transparency, creating a positive work environment, knowledge of pedagogical contents, and cooperation and collaboration with various stakeholders are the vital constituents of successful leadership practices.

Expectations and Realities of Knowledge Management: Experiences from Higher Education in Developing Countries

The aim of this paper is to view the theoretical and practical aspects of knowledge management in the higher education of developing countries of Asia and Africa. It also emphasizes the usage and importance of Knowledge Management (KM) in developing countries. This paper argues that the use of KM is growing day by day in higher education institution after the development of information technology (IT), and information and communication technology (ICT). KM is highlighted in the developing countries along with the enablers of KM such as technology, leadership, culture and environment. Consequently, development of KM is not going ahead as intended in such countries. The aim of this paper is to explore the status and impact of KM in higher education institutions (HEIs) of developing countries. In this era, the usage of KM is increasing day by day in business sectors and educational institutions as well. This paper aims to elaborate the expectations of KM in higher education institutes of developing countries.

English for Academic Purposes: Theory, Trends and Practices

English for academic purpose (EAP) emerged as a branch of English for specific purposes in the early 1980s. EAP grounds English language teaching in the linguistic demands of academic context, tailoring instruction to specific rather than general purposes. There is a growth of interest in EAP in the recent years. The interest in EAP developed in response to the growing need for intercultural awareness and of English as a lingua franca (ELF). EAP has become a major area of research in applied linguistics and focus of the courses studied worldwide by a large number of students preparing for study in colleges and universities. The increase in students’ undertaking tertiary studies in English-speaking countries has led to a steady demand for the courses tailored to meet the immediate, specific vocational and professional needs. Thus, most universities in the present day world prioritize the role of academic skills. The aim of the paper is to examine the key approaches to the teaching of English for academic purposes, current trends in teaching EAP, and to argue the centrality and significance of EAP in the academia. The paper concludes by arguing that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on methodology in EAP.

Empowering the Disadvantaged Students in Mathematics Education: Relevance of Social Justice, Equity and Mainstreaming

Mathematical knowledge is indubitable in various sectors, but diversity in culture and tradition in society causes inequality, injustice and backwardness among the students learning mathematics. Study of cultural heritage, customs, behavior in mathematics education is the demand of post-modern paradigm. Efforts of self-organization and co-construction in the initiation of students and teachers through their active participation, interaction and mathematics classroom discourses could be instrumental towards the generation of mathematical knowledge in classroom – which can support to reduce the western domination in mathematics education; and societal negative mind-set about mathematics education will also be minimized in this way. Ethno-mathematics, diversified mathematical strategies, culturally responsive mathematics classroom and enhancing equity in learning mathematics are the major dimensions that mathematics professionals need to exercise for the effective, reflective and contextualized teaching and learning of mathematics. This is a phenomenological study conducted among secondary level mathematics teachers. Using written interview and informal sharing of participants’ experiences towards teaching and learning mathematics, three major themes were developed and discussed. This article primarily shows that there exists the intertwined relation among these themes; and it is essential to properly address these themes for more effective learning of mathematics in the context of Nepalese secondary level classrooms.

English as a Medium of Instruction: Students’ Discernment in Nepal

English as a medium of instruction (EMI) has become a global phenomenon; and several countries of the world have adopted EMI in their classrooms from primary to university level including Nepal. This study seeks to explore the perception, practice and challenges of the students allied to using EMI for learning at secondary level in the community schools of Nepal. It looks at students’ attitude on EMI in terms of their upbeat mind-set, complicatedness and identity construction. A critical qualitative case study method was adopted for research and three students of an EMI-adopted community school of Sindhuli district were selected as the participants of study following the purposive sampling procedure. Semi-structured interview was conducted to elicit in-depth data from the participants. The raw data were transcribed and coded to develop the main themes maintaining the principles of relevancy. The findings reveal that the students have deeply rooted beliefs in learning through English because it secures their future by assisting them to get a job in the country or abroad. They have difficulties in speaking English and learning new vocabulary even though they are learning through English; but their teachers facilitate them with the Nepali equivalents. They feel proud of being the students of EMI schools because there is a superior credit of their school in the district and they are also supposed to be better qualified students in their locality.

Preface and Editorial Vol.29

No abstract available.

Analysis of Direct Private Investment: The Case of Bachelor’s Level in Community College

The costs spent by students or parents while attaining education are called the direct private costs which are usually placed outside and inside the domain of educational institutions. The present study is a quantitative survey that aims to conduct a comparative analysis of institutional and non-institutional direct private costs. Furthermore, it tries to find the size of institutional and non-institutional direct private costs at Bachelor’s level education in Nepal. For these purposes, I have selected a community based college from Kathmandu valley purposively and 90 students of Bachelor’s level (30 each from the faculty of humanities, education and management) were selected using simple random sampling technique. The findings of the study reveal that the average college related institutional unit cost per student was Rs. 24730.57, university related institutional cost was Rs. 5982.23; and total annual institutional unit cost was Rs. 30712.80. Likewise, it was found that a student has expensed Rs. 46411.63 as non-institutional direct private cost in a year. Total annual average direct private cost of education (institutional plus non-institutional) was Rs. 77124.43 at Bachelor’s level of community based college in the capital city of Nepal.

Obstacles to Women’s Higher Education in Nepal: A Critical Review of Policies and Practices

This article critically reviews the theoretical and practical issues posing barrier to women for pursuing higher education and reaching professionally leading position in the Nepalese education sector. This article is based on the secondary resources such as cases and materials available in the public domain, and writer’s own experiences. The study concludes that Nepali women are facing numerous obstacles in all sectors, from household to public institution as well as in the education sector. However, the nature and intensity of obstacles differ among certain ethnic groups.

Unravelling English Language Space Constituted in Model School Construction in Nepal

School Sector Development Plan (SSDP, 2016-2023) has envisaged the establishment and operation of ‘model schools’ to demonstrate improved management and teaching-learning therein. One thousand secondary schools representing all provinces and districts are planned to be developed as model schools, and three hundred and five have already been selected for initiating the project in 2017/18. Model School Guideline has been developed in the framework of SSDP; and in accordance with that, the selected schools are provided with certain financial support for building infrastructure, improving classroom delivery and instructional activities, and bringing efficiency in school management. Based on the fieldwork in four sample schools of Nepal, this study has unraveled how these ‘model’ schools have understood, experienced and enacted with English language space (ELS) in the course of model school construction. The analysis of the field data especially derived from school observation, qualitative research interviews and Focus Group Discussions with teachers, School Management Committee members and students unpacks how English language, which is often defined as the key for students’ and parents’ choice of school, is equally associated with confusion and ambivalence in the construction of model schools in Nepal. The analysis shows that the confusion and ambivalence concentrate around three major constructs: ELS as instrumental to school sustainability, ELS as a conflicting zone, and ELS as the educultural reality in the current educational discourses.