Expectations, Experiences, and Satisfaction of the Graduate Students with Distance Online Learning Environment in OMSC Graduate School during the Covid-19 Pandemic

This descriptive study determined the level of expectations, experiences, and satisfaction of the graduate students with distance online learning environment in Occidental Mindoro State College Graduate School during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study was conducted from January 2021 until August 2021 at OMSC Labangan Campus, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. A total of 58 respondents selected through a simple random sampling technique participated in the study. The questionnaire was the main instrument used in gathering data for the study. Data gathered were analyzed using frequency and percentage, weighted mean, Pearson-r moment correlation, and Regression analysis. It was found that the level of expectation, the extent of the learning experience, and the level of satisfaction with the online learning environment of the graduate school are very high. There is a high positive correlation between expectations, experience, and satisfaction. Experience has a high positive correlation with satisfaction. None of the indicators of expectation influenced satisfaction. The social and cognitive presence influence the satisfaction of the graduate students with the distance online learning environment of the OMSC Graduate School. It was suggested to improve internet connectivity, use asynchronous and modular delivery modes of instruction, give feedback and return students' output, and the faculty must keep up their good work to improve the distance online learning environment. It was concluded that graduate student's expectation and experience greatly influence their level of satisfaction with the online distance learning environment. Concrete actions are needed to improve and optimize the processes in the distance learning environment to enhance students' experiences and increase satisfaction.

Book Review: Manolescu, D. (2019). Tips. A Guidebook for Teaching Excellence in ESL

The Guide for Teaching Excellence in ESL provides several demonstrations of the connection between language and culture. The book outlined the history behind words, the development of languages and alphabets, and the relationship between language and culture. Dan Manolescu recognized the student needs and core competencies that teachers must demonstrate to improve learning outcomes for students learning English. The book provided references to establish sources of information to support the author's work and approach to ESL instruction. He used his knowledge and experiences to create a comprehensive work that may benefit those new and veteran teachers who support ESL students. The author's knowledge of language and teaching is very evident throughout the book. The author signals the importance of performing an environmental scan when providing instructional tips to students because excellence can be achieved and is vital to building knowledge.

Impact of Mediator Mentors Service-Learning on College Student Social-Emotional Expertise and Cultural Competence

Mentorship in the field of service-learning has many variations. The utilization of peace circles has been on the rise as a way of bringing inclusion and cultural awareness when interacting with diverse perspectives in a group setting. Research on the impact of service-learning experiences on college students reflects that participation in these high-impact practices in higher education lead to positive outcomes through engagement in active learning practices that will impact their future careers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential factors that impact college students’ own growth and development within mentorship service learning experiences in virtual settings with school-aged students. Using Likert-style retrospective survey questions with open-ended responses, this mixed-methods research explored the impact of participating in mentorship service learning on college students’ development of social-emotional and cultural competence. The findings of the study are presented in a descriptive approach which led to conclusions and recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Mediator Mentors program at Fresno State University to positively impact the growth and development of college students in the areas of social-emotional expertise and cultural competence.

Students’ Personality and Susceptibility to Persuasion during Mathematics Groupwork: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this exploratory study was to understand how and to what extent personality traits, positionality, and content knowledge influence students’ susceptibility to persuasion during groupwork. Personality surveys, recorded videos, and semi-structured interviews provided evidence to support the findings. The findings confirmed that individuals who have low levels of conscientiousness or high levels of neuroticism are more likely to be convinced during a group activity. Additionally, individual background of content knowledge influenced the group persuasion process. A rich body of content knowledge about a subject area helped students feel that they were more confident; those who had confidence were more actively involved in discussions and firmly stood by their own opinions during the social persuasion process. However, the findings indicated there was not a link between susceptibility to persuasion and learners’ sociocultural factors. These findings provide educators with insights for improving the design of constructive groups in the mathematics classroom.

Obstacles to Efficient Education Online: Interview with Associate Professor Dr. M. Murat Erguvan

Associate Professor Dr. M. Murat Erguvan has 28 years of teaching and administrative experience in various countries and positions such as programme coordinator, dean, vice rector for education, research and/or external affairs. He has been with the International Black Sea University (IBSU), in Tbilisi, Georgia, a country located at the convergence of Eastern Europe and Western Asia since 2012, and has occupied the positions of the Head of Total Quality Management & Strategic Planning Office (TQM), International Relations Office (IRO), and Vice Rector for Education and Research. Murat earned his doctoral degree in Education Management: “A Framework for Implementation of Total Quality Management in Georgian Higher Education Institutions in the Context of International Black Sea University”. Currently, he offers Quality Management classes at bachelor’s and master’s levels, as well as Using Instructional Technology in Education classes to bachelor’s and master’s students. Besides coordinating bachelor’s and master’s theses, this professional educationist supervises the work for strategic planning and takes part in producing information system modules by developing database structures. In addition, he has taken part in ISO 9001:2008 implementation in higher education institutions, and received EFQM Assessor Training in Brussels. In this interview, therefore, Murat converses with Andrew Bula, a lecturer at Baze University, Abuja, Nigeria, on the current state of online education around which he remains committed.

Education Rights for Stateless Bidoon Children in Kuwait: The Voice of Government Officials

According to the United Nations, a stateless person is someone who has no legal identity in any nation whatsoever. In Kuwait, there are almost 110,000 stateless people who are known as Bidoon, which literally means “without”. Since 1991 Bidoon children have been shut out of the public school system as they are considered illegal immigrants. The only point of contact for legal interaction between the government of Kuwait and the Bidoon is the Central Agency for Remedying Illegal Immigrants’ Status. This complex bureaucracy has two conflicting responsibilities: (1) to investigate claims of citizenship by the Bidoon; and (2) to provide limited government services, including financial support to attend private schools. This research seeks to better understand the government’s position regarding Bidoon education, and present the individual voices and beliefs behind the government policies. Seven government officials were interviewed, including the head of the Central Agency. Their responses, arranged here around specific themes of visibility/invisibility, inclusion/exclusion, and denial/access, suggest some possible explanations for the government’s seeming lack of ability to resolve a situation that has continued for decades. By exploring the multitude of opinions that are impacting government policy, the present study aims to enhance understanding of the political and procedural roadblocks that are preventing the Kuwaiti government from resolving problems around educational access, legal status, and the rights of Bidoon children.

The Problem of Reliability of Information in the Global Network

The reliability of information in the global information space is one of the most important problems of globalization. The credibility of various information resources is currently being studied and considered in different ways. In some cases, the problem of the reliability of information can be assessed as harmful and dangerous. This article, looks at the problem of information reliability in a general theoretical context. Efforts are also made to classify information arrays and categorize information consumers. The “general picture” of the results of a sociological survey of 100 students shows that the problem is significant. In many cases, young people are not “interested” in the reliability of the information, and in some cases they resign themselves to this situation.

Literary Musings and Critical Mediations: Interview with Rev. Fr Professor Amechi N. Akwanya

Reverend Father Professor Amechi Nicholas Akwanya is one of the towering scholars of literature in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world. For decades, and still counting, Fr. Prof. Akwanya has worked arduously, professing literature by way of teaching, researching, and writing in the Department of English and Literary Studies of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. To his credit, therefore, this genius of a literature scholar has singularly authored over 70 articles, six critically engaging books, a novel, and three volumes of poetry. His PhD thesis, Structuring and Meaning in the Nigerian Novel, which he completed in 1989, is a staggering 734-page document. Professor Akwanya has also taught many literature courses, namely: European Continental Literature, Studies in Drama, Modern Literary Theory, African Poetry, History of Theatre: Aeschylus to Shakespeare, European Theatre since Ibsen, English Literature Survey: the Beginnings, Semantics, History of the English Language, History of Criticism, Modern Discourse Analysis, Greek and Roman Literatures, Linguistics and the Teaching of Literature, Major Strands in Literary Criticism, Issues in Comparative Literature, Discourse Theory, English Poetry, English Drama, Modern British Literature, Comparative Studies in Poetry, Comparative Studies in Drama, Studies in African Drama, and Philosophy of Literature. A Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Letters, Akwanya’s open access works have been read over 109,478 times around the world. In this wide-ranging interview, he speaks to Andrew Bula, a young lecturer from Baze University, Abuja, shedding light on a variety of issues around which his life revolves.

Relationship between Reflective Teaching and Teacher Autonomy among Iranian EFL Experienced and Novice Teachers

The present study was an attempt to examine the relationship between reflective teaching and teacher autonomy among Iranian EFL experienced and novice teachers. The study was conducted with a sample of 100 EFL teachers that were selected by convenience sampling from language institutes in Isfahan, Iran. In order to neutralize the role of gender, as an intervening variable, an equal number of male and female participants were invited to take part in the study. Out of participants, 50 of them were experienced and 50 were novice teachers (those teachers who had fewer than five years and more than five years of teaching experience were considered novice and experienced participants). The participants were requested to fill out two questionnaires measuring reflective teaching and teacher autonomy. The descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data. The findings showed that there was a strong positive relationship between the experienced teachers' reflective teaching and their teacher autonomy and there was a moderate positive relationship between the novice teachers' reflective teaching and their teacher autonomy. The results of the present study will be useful for EFL teachers to have effective teaching. Obviously, reflective teaching would help teachers to foster their independence.

Effects of Using Instagram on Iranian Intermediate Autonomous/Dependent EFL Learners’ Learning of Pictorial Metaphors

This study was an attempt to investigate whether using Instagram had any significant effects on Iranian intermediate autonomous/dependent EFL learners’ pictorial metaphors or not. In doing so, Oxford Placement Test was administered among100 EFL learners studying at Rooyesh language institute in Kelishad, Isfahan, Iran; and based on the results, 80 EFL learners were selected. Then, the autonomy test was conducted to divide them into autonomous and dependent groups. In the next step, they were divided into two equal experimental and control groups (N=40) that each group was subdivided to an autonomous and a dependent group (i.e., 20 autonomous and 20 dependent participants in each CG and EG). Their age ranged between 14 and 18 years old. Gender of participants was not considered as a variable in the study. Next, a metaphorical expression pretest was administered to all groups of the study and then the experimental group was given the metaphorical expressions via Instagram application, whereas the control group only followed conventional treatment. At the end, the posttest of L2 metaphorical expression was administered to both groups of the study and finally the data were analyzed. Analyzing the data through the one-way repeated measures ANOVA and ANCOVA revealed that utilizing Instagram application had a positively significant effect on autonomous/dependent Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ pictorial metaphors learning. Furthermore, both autonomous and dependent students had a positive attitude toward using Instagram Application.