PRInK: Environmental virtual interactive based education and learning model for STEM motivation

Education and Information Technologies - Pollution from quarry activities has a substantial environmental impact on many countries. This issue should be addressed accordingly as its impact may...     

Comprehensive screening and selection of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) germplasm for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage and during plant ontogeny

The okra germplasm was screened for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage and during plant ontogeny. Substantial variation existed in okra for salinity tolerance at the seedling stage. An 80 mmol/L NaCl concentration was suitable for discriminating tolerant and non-tolerant okra genotypes. The pooled ranking of the genotypes, based on individual rankings for each trait (root and shoot length, germination percentage, and relative Na⁺ and K⁺) in individual NaCl concentrations, was effective for selecting tolerant genotypes. Genotypes selected at the seedling stage maintained their tolerance to NaCl during plant ontogeny, suggesting that screening of the germplasm entries and advanced breeding materials for salt tolerance at the seedling stage is effective. Among 39 okra genotypes, five were identified as the most tolerant genotypes and showed potential for use in breeding programs that focus on the development of salt-tolerant, high-yield okra cultivars.     

The impact of game-based learning (GBL) on students’ motivation,engagement and academic performance on an Arabic language grammar course in higher education

Education and Information Technologies - The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of game-based learning (GBL) on students’ motivation, engagement and academic performance on an...     

Undergraduate Student Participation in an Evaluation of a Police Program: A High-Impact Practice

High-impact educational practices are increasingly being recognized as powerful teaching strategies that can positively impact both student and faculty experiences in the classroom. Student persistence in college is correlated to campus integration, and one way this can be successfully facilitated is through student–faculty research partnerships. This paper documents the process of one faculty research team integrating four undergraduate students into an ongoing research project, for which students received course credit. There were many benefits of this collaboration to both student and faculty participants, but there were also many opportunities to better streamline the project and to potentially create an institutional template for replication of this process so that other faculty members can learn from this experience and more easily successfully integrate students into their own research.     

Choices of destination for transnational higher education: “pull” factors in an Asia Pacific market

Traditional assumptions favouring native English language countries in transnational higher education (TNHE) overlook experiences of international students in new emerging Asian education hubs. Specifically, there has been limited research relating to international students’ choice for studying in Malaysia. Drawing from the “push-pull” model of factors influencing the movement of international student destination choice, this study identifies determinants of student destination decision for TNHE. While acknowledging perceived qualities and values of individual institutions as important criteria, findings from interviews with students that are currently enrolled at international branch campuses also indicated key influences driven by “pull” factors of country image – attractive features of Malaysia, i.e. comparatively low cost of living, low tuition fees, safe country for living, stable government, modern amenities, proximity in culture and religion and freedom from discrimination – as focal motives in their choice decision. These findings provide implications for policy-makers to deploy their educational resources as well as develop effective promotional and marketing strategies in promoting the local reputation and amenities in order to attract more international students.     

Koranic education and militant Islam in Nigeria

In this article the author outlines and discusses the influence of Koranic schools, and their students (almagiri) on the rise of fundamentalism and the spreading of militant Islam in Northern Nigeria.The author contends that while Islamic fundamentalism is the banner of both the Western-oriented Muslims and traditional Nigerian Muslims, it differs in expression in Northern Nigeria. The article shows that these differences result from the influence of the Koranic schools on the traditional teachers (ulama) and their students on the one hand, and Western universities, Wahhabi Arabs, and Western-oriented teachers and their students on the other.The origins of the Koranic school curriculum in Nigeria, the training of traditional Muslim teachers, and the lifestyle of the students are discussed. The author shows how certain socialization patterns found in the Koranic schools and almagiri system seem congruent with the political attitudes and values stressed by spokesmen of militant Islamic sects in Northern Nigeria.

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Zusammenfassung Eine militante islamische Bewegung breitet sich in Norden Nigerias aus. In dem nachfolgenden Artikel umreißt und bespricht der Verfasser den Einfluß der Koranschulen und ihrer Schüler (almagiri) auf den wachsenden Fundamentalismus im Norden Nigerias.Der Verfasser weist nach, daß während der islamische Fundamentalismus als Sammelbecken sowohl für die westlich orientierten als auch für die traditionellen nigerianischen Moslems dient, sich der islamische Fundamentalismus im Norden anders äußert. Der unterschiedliche Einfluß von Koranschulen auf die traditionellen Gelehrten (ulama) und ihre Schüler einerseits sowie auf westliche Universitäten, Wahhabi Araber und westlich orientierteulama andererseits, steht im Mittelpunkt des Beitrags.Der Leser wird über den Ursprung des Curriculums der Koranschulen in Nigeria, über die Ausbildung traditioneller Moslem-Lehrer und über den Lebensstil deralmagiri informiert. Der Verfasser beschreibt wie bestimmte Sozialisationsmuster an Koranschulen und imalmagiri-System mit den von den Sprechern der militanten islamischen Sekten im Norden Nigerias betonten politischen Haltungen und Werten übereinzustimmen scheinen.

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Résumé L'Islam militant est en train de se propager dans le nord du Nigeria. Dans cet article, l'auteur se propose de mettre en évidence et d'analyser l'influence des écoles coraniques et de leurs étudiants (almagiri) sur la montée du fondamentalisme dans le nord du Nigeria.L'auteur montre que si le fondamentalisme islamique est la bannière des musulmans d'orientation occidentale et des musulmans nigérians traditionnels, il diffère, en revanche, par sa forme d'expression dans cette région du Nigeria. Cet article révèle que ces différences proviennent de l'influence exercée par les écoles coraniques sur lesulama traditionnelles et leur étudiants d'une part, et sur les universités occidentales, lesWahhabi arabes et lesulama d'orientation occidentale et leurs étudiants d'autre part.Cet article apporte des informations au lecteur sur l'origine du programme d'études de l'école coranique au Nigeria, la formation des enseignants musulmans traditionnels et le style de vie desalmagiri. L'auteur montrera d'une manière générale comment certains modèles de socialisation rencontrés dans les écoles coraniques et le systèmealmagiri semblent être conformes aux attitudes et aux valeurs politiques prônées par les porte-parole des sectes islamiques militantes résident dans le nord du Nigeria.

     

Mine the process: investigating the cyclical nature of upper primary school students’ self-regulated learning

The present study investigates primary school students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) process by exploring the sequence in which SRL activities are conducted during learning. The aims of this study are twofold: investigating the presence of the theoretically hypothesized cyclical nature in students’ SRL process, as well as potential differences herein for high, average, and low achievers. Think-aloud data of 104 upper primary school students were analysed by means of process mining analysis. The results indicate that students commonly adopt a cyclical approach to learning by implementing preparatory, performance, and appraisal activities during learning. However, the results indicate clear differences in the quality of students’ SRL process. High achievers, compared to low and average achievers, show a more strategic and adaptive approach to learning during all phases of their learning process. They more strategically and effectively orient on and plan assignments, combine different cognitive strategies, and adopt self-evaluation to regulate their learning process.

     

Marital conflict and disruption of children's sleep

Marital conflict was examined as a predictor of the quality and quantity of sleep in a sample of healthy 8- to 9-year-olds. Parents and children reported on marital conflict, the quantity and quality of children's sleep were examined through an actigraph worn for 7 consecutive nights, and child sleepiness was derived from child and mother reports. Increased marital conflict was associated with disruptions in the quantity and quality of children's sleep as well as subjective sleepiness, even after controlling for child age, ethnic group membership, socioeconomic status, sex, and body mass index. The results support the sensitization hypothesis in that exposure to marital conflict may influence an important facet of children's biological regulation, namely sleep.     

Student victimization by educational staff in Israel

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the relationships between physical, emotional, and sexual victimization of school students by educational staff with a number of variables describing the student (gender, age, and relationship with teachers) and the school (the socioeconomic status (SES) of the students' families and school's neighborhood, school level, and ethnic affiliation). METHOD: The study is based on a nationally representative sample of 17,465 students in grades 4-11 in 319 schools across Israel, who completed questionnaires during class. In addition, data were obtained on SES of students' families and the school's neighborhood. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to examine the relationships. RESULTS: Almost a third of the students reported being emotionally maltreated by school staff, and almost a quarter of primary and junior high students and a fifth of high school students were physically victimized by school staff. Almost 8% of secondary school students reported being sexually maltreated by school staff. The most vulnerable students were boys, Arab children, and children in schools in low SES neighborhoods. CONCLUSION: The study shows that students in Israel are exposed to high levels of maltreatment by educational staff, but not all students are equally likely to be victimized by school staff.     

Instruments to assess students’ critical thinking—A qualitative approach

Critical thinking (CT) skills are essential to academic and professional success. Instruments to assess CT often rely on multiple-choice formats with inherent problems. This research presents two instruments for assessing CT, an essay and open-ended group-discussion format, which were implemented in an undergraduate business course at a large public university. The topics were intentionally chosen to be digitally-related (internet access and social media) since they raise complex issues, are applicable in many disciplines, and students are avid users, thereby making these instruments relevant, multidisciplinary, engaging, and multifaceted. These instruments may be adapted to enable educators to effectively assess undergraduate students’ ability to think critically. Qualitative analysis of the verbatim data with NVivo helps demonstrate the instruments’ efficacy in assessing CT, with (1) high-quality responses receiving high grades, and (2) overarching themes identified by content analysis, that coalesce into the three dimensions of social justice theory (distributive, procedural, and interactional), thus illustrating students’ consideration of complex fairness norms and societal needs. Excerpts of student responses are provided as illustrations of the indicators/evidence of critical thinking. Educators can use these instruments to first assess students’ CT skills, and then devise targeted interventions to improve the quality of students’ thought processes.