Shanlax International Journal of Education

Mobile Technologies in Blended Learning Environments for Better Speaking Classes via Voki

Sibel Ergün Elverici — 2024-03-01

With their growing popularity, mobile technologies can be seen as having the capacity to enhance language learning by offering learners a flexible and dynamic learning environment that is not limited by time or location. The main objective of this study is to explore the potential benefits and implications of incorporating mobile technologies as an integral part of blended learning in language classes. In this context, this study investigates the use of a well-known Web 2.0 tool, namely Voki, to explore its impacts on high school students’ English speaking skill and their perceptions in blended learning environments. The findings indicate that Voki provides a fun and motivating platform for students to practice their speaking and can significantly increase their speaking skill. In addition, students who participated in English classes incorporating Voki found it beneficial, leading to positive outcomes in terms of their speaking performance. By purposefully integrating mobile technologies into language learning, educators can harness their full potential and enhance the learning experience for students. On the whole, integrating a Web 2.0 tool like Voki with its multimedia features can be a valuable educational resource to improve English speaking skills in blended language classes.

A Descriptive Analysis and Classification of Drama Techniques for Language Teaching

Süleyman Başaran — 2024-03-01

This study offers a descriptive analysis and classification of drama techniques that can be used in foreign language teaching. The aim is to provide language teachers and practitioners with accessible techniques that can be easily utilized in major stages and skills of the language teaching process as needed. The method of the study includes descriptive analysis and classification, resulting in the identification of five major categories of drama techniques. These include introduction and warm-up techniques, awareness-raising techniques, self-confidence and motivation techniques, techniques for speaking and listening skills, and techniques for reading and writing skills. For each category, several techniques were selected and described as examples. It is hoped that this study will make these techniques more available to teachers and researchers, ultimately improving language teaching practices. Since there seems to be no study in the literature on the classification of drama techniques in terms of language teaching, we hope that this study will fill an important gap.

Meeting the Challenges of Online Education during Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for Blended Learning

Nehreen Majed — 2024-03-01

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, technological and administrative systems for implementing online learning, and the infrastructure that supports its access and delivery, had to be adapted quickly. While disparity in accessibility existed between urban and rural students, extensive resources had been allocated and processes developed to connect learners with course activities and materials, to facilitate communication between instructors and students, and to manage the administration of online learning. Educators needed to make way for this transition with the available technological support and their existing IT skills. Although the pandemic is over, online education still remains a viable option for continuing education in an emergency situation. Exploring the challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic and delving deep into the nature and the types of these challenges and their possible reasons will pave the way of translating these insights into academic practices required for laying the foundation of blended learning (BL) in higher education. Recently the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh has published a proposal for adopting BL in the higher education institutions of Bangladesh. This case study consisting of both quantitative and qualitative research, explores the challenges faced by the teachers of the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) during the online shift of education because of the pandemic. Based on the findings, a blended learning framework has been developed which can be applied in tertiary level education in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

A Contrastive Corpus-based Study of American and English Adjectives: ‘Important’ and ‘Significant’

Bunyawat Sriwangrach — 2024-03-01

This contrastive corpus-based study aims to analyze the similarities and differences of two synonyms “important” and “significant” concerning on the degree of formality in their distribution across genres as well as their collocations and semantic preference. The corpus data derived from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) and the British National Corpus (BNC) which represent varieties of English usage across different cultures (American and British). This study analyzed the top 20 noun collocates with Mutual Information (MI) scores value of at least three. The corpus data from COCA and BNC explored some shared characteristics and contrastive features. The findings discovered that the two adjectives have the same core meaning and degree of formality since their highest frequency in academic texts whereas frequencies are the lowest in informal genres i.e. TV and movie subtitles and fiction. In certain conditions, these synonyms are different in terms of noun collocation due to the fact that these synonyms co-occur with particular noun collocates. Interestingly, the findings also confirm two adjectives are near synonyms as they share only two similar theme of semantic preference. In consequence, the two synonyms cannot be used interchangeably in all contexts. Moreover, it was found that the corpora provide some useful details that are deficient in the dictionary.

Approaches to Creative Communication Skills Development of School Administrators in Schools under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

Chayanit Phaenpha — 2024-03-01

This mixed methods research was applied and divided into two phases. Phase one: was to study the creative communication skills of school administrators according to the perspective of teachers in the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Multi-stage random sampling was used to select teachers from the BMA as participants in this research. The research instrument for phase one was a five-point Likert scale, consisting of 50 items, validating content with a range of 0.80 to 1.00, discriminant power between 0.30 to 0.80, and reliability of 0.986. Statistical analyses included mean, standard deviation, and the modified priority needs index (PNI_modified). Phase two: focused on qualitative research to identify approaches to creative communication skills development of school administrators in schools under the BMA. The participant has three groups comprising seven individuals: academic experts in educational management at the directorial level or equivalent, representatives from the education department, and educational counselors affiliated with the BMA. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. The research employed a semi-structured interview as the instrument and conducted content analysis. The results of the research found that: 1) the degree of success, and importance of state requirements for creative communication skills of school administrators under the BMA were at high and highest levels respectively. The most crucial priority needs were encouragement, followed by active listening, fostering positive relationships, and reflective thinking, in that order; and 2) approaches for developing creative communication skills of school administrators under the BMA including engagement, approachability, optimism, and reinforcement, the EAOR model.

An Investigation into Guitar Methods Used in Amateur Guitar Education

Berk Ceviz — 2024-03-01

The study examined the content of methods used in amateur guitar education, namely “Guitar Method for Children” (Bülent İşbilen & Özhan Gölebatmaz), “Classical Guitar Method” (Ahmet Kanneci), “Easy Training Method for Classical Guitar” (Bülent İşbilen & Güray Demir), “Classical Guitar Method” (Murat İşbilen), “Arenas I” (Rodriguez Arenas), “Guitar Method I” (Ziya Aydıntan), and “Introductory Method for Classical Guitar” (Bekir Küçükay). The research employed a scanning model. In the data collection phase, methods were obtained, and their contents were examined for topics such as the Historical Development of Classical Guitar, Basic Information, Tuning of the Guitar, Nails, Starting Positions, Visuals, Study and Piece Descriptions, Speed Terminology, and Table of Contents. The results, presented in tables, revealed that two of the methods lacked a table of contents, speed terminology was only presented in one method for all pieces and studies, and topics such as nails and tuning of the guitar were not covered in most methods.

The The Advantages and Challenges of Inclusive Education: Striving for Equity in the Classroom

Mayonel J Jardinez — 2024-03-01

Inclusive education is the process of integrating individuals with disabilities into a regular classroom, and it helps reflect the world’s commitment to equal educational opportunities as outlined in UNCRPD. It emphasizes the importance of embracing diversity and promoting acceptance among students who are impaired. This paper examines why it is important to include learners with impairments into mainstream classes and the favorable attitudes towards inclusive education among teachers, administrators and students. Many barriers hinder its implementation such as lack of professional development for teachers, insufficient facilities for learning, difficulty in creating relationships between classmates, inadequate parent participation, and absence of legislations and policies that are aligned towards its practice. The role of several educational theories like social constructivism, humanistic approach and universal design for learning (UDL) have been discussed to show their relevance in addressing challenges found in inclusive learning. Social Constructivism shows how collaborative work can be used inside the classrooms so that peer rejection will be lessened. The approach that is humanistic stresses about the comprehensive growth all individuals while addressing the needs of learners with disabilities. UDL focuses on promoting an accessible learning environment and eliminating physical barriers to foster successful growth for all students. Moreover, this article underlines relevance of awareness on how children with impairments can be incorporated into conventional classrooms and benefits which inclusive education has for both disabled and non disabled students. In conclusion, this paper emphasized the transformative nature of inclusive education in fostering a learning atmosphere that promotes diversity, empathy, and acceptance, contributing to students’ overall development.

A Comparative Study of eTwinning Projects from the Perspectives of Turkish and European Preschool Teachers

Mustafa Şenel — 2024-03-01

The aim of this study is to examine the views of preschool teachers in Turkey and Europe on eTwinning projects comparatively and to determine the extent to which teachers’ experiences are similar and different. It is expected that the findings will motivate preschool teachers and administrators to develop eTwinning projects. In this study, case study method was used as a qualitative research design. Thirty two preschool teachers from Turkey and Europe were reached through convenience sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods. A semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool. The first part of the interview form included general information questions about the teachers and the second part included questions about the teachers’ views on eTwinning projects. From the data obtained, it was determined that Turkish teachers created more codes than their European colleagues, however, teachers in both groups generally had positive views about eTwinning projects and took part in these projects voluntarily.

A Survey and Evaluation on the Inclination of the School and College Students towards Reading

M Rishidev — 2024-03-01

Reading habit is one if emulated judiciously is bound to reap rich benefits in the future. From being the most effective way in utilizing leisure time to the development of better cognitive ability, reading has an inevitable role. In this study an attempt has been made to enumerate the prevalence of reading habits among the school (6-12) and the college students. Survey is conducted in a hybrid mode, employing direct data collection pertinent to the school students and online survey for college students. Random sampling technique is employed and the data collected is analysed and interpreted in various ways. The comparison of the results of the school and the college students along with the overall trend has been deciphered. The results paint a grim picture of the plummeting reading tendency among the students and the utmost priority with which it should be addressed. An attempt has also been made to address the suitable alternatives in the near future to foster and inculcate reading among the young minds of the nation.

A Comparison between the Acquisitions Foreseen in the Novel “İz Peşinde” (In Pursuit of the Trail) by Mavisel Yener and the Acquisitions in the Turkish Language Teaching Program

Nagihan Göktaş — 2024-03-01

In order to identify the acquisitions foreseen for middle school children in the book “İz Peşinde” (In Pursuit of the Trail) in Mavisel Yener’s “Dolunay Dedektifleri” (Full Moon Detectives) series, this study was conducted. The study sample is composed of the author’s book “İz Peşinde”. Sub problems, assumptions, the importance and purpose of the research were included in the study. The work examined in this study, in which qualitative research method was used, was analyzed using descriptive analysis method. Based on this analysis, the work was read, examined, labeled, classified, and then associated with the acquisitions determined for middle school students in the Turkish Language Course (Grades 1-8) Curriculum (2019). It was concluded that Mavisel Yener’s “İz Peşinde” includes examples that match the learning outcomes in the Turkish Language Course (Grades 1-8) Curriculum. Therefore, it is believed that this work written in the field of children’s literature is appropriate for the curriculum and can be used as a material in Turkish Language courses.