The interconnected constructs of education in the 21st century cannot be divorced from teacher training. This article reports on the digital literacy experience of teachers amidst the worldwide recommendations of using distance learning and open educational applications to address education during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Altogether, 840 participants were purposively selected from urban, semi-urban, and rural areas in South Africa; 217 completed an online qualitative survey, while 23 took part in three virtual focus-group discussions. Van Dijk’s Resources and Appropriation Theory guided the study. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings revealed the gaps between what is expected of teachers and their own realities, besides teachers’ eagerness to be involved in digital literacy. Recommendations include the need to continually align the teacher education curriculum with the country’s skills need and to provide teachers with the required support. Associated directions for further research are suggested.
{"title":"Enhancing the Digital Literacy Experience of Teachers to Bolster Learning in the 21st Century","authors":"R. Aluko, M. Ooko","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.662","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.662","url":null,"abstract":"The interconnected constructs of education in the 21st century cannot be divorced from teacher training. This article reports on the digital literacy experience of teachers amidst the worldwide recommendations of using distance learning and open educational applications to address education during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Altogether, 840 participants were purposively selected from urban, semi-urban, and rural areas in South Africa; 217 completed an online qualitative survey, while 23 took part in three virtual focus-group discussions. Van Dijk’s Resources and Appropriation Theory guided the study. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings revealed the gaps between what is expected of teachers and their own realities, besides teachers’ eagerness to be involved in digital literacy. Recommendations include the need to continually align the teacher education curriculum with the country’s skills need and to provide teachers with the required support. Associated directions for further research are suggested.","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47533596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article explores the link between cognitive styles and Indigenous students’ mathematics academic outcomes. There were three different groups of Indigenous West Papuan students participating in this study: 9 junior high school students, 12 senior high school students, and 46 university students. Data were collected from the results of the group embedded figure test and the previous semester's scores and analysed using a quantitative approach. In contrast to previous studies, the results indicated no significant correlation between cognitive styles and mathematics academic outcomes for junior and senior high school students. However, the different cognitive styles showed a significant contribution for university students. As Indigenous students pursue a higher level of education, their cognitive styles would influence their mathematics academic outcomes.
{"title":"Relationships Between Cognitive Styles and Indigenous Students’ Mathematics Academic Outcomes","authors":"Murni Sianturi, Riska Suliantin, H. Fitrianti","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.684","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.684","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the link between cognitive styles and Indigenous students’ mathematics academic outcomes. There were three different groups of Indigenous West Papuan students participating in this study: 9 junior high school students, 12 senior high school students, and 46 university students. Data were collected from the results of the group embedded figure test and the previous semester's scores and analysed using a quantitative approach. In contrast to previous studies, the results indicated no significant correlation between cognitive styles and mathematics academic outcomes for junior and senior high school students. However, the different cognitive styles showed a significant contribution for university students. As Indigenous students pursue a higher level of education, their cognitive styles would influence their mathematics academic outcomes.","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48989512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The continual evolution of employment opportunities in the present industrial era has raised the need for career-long expert advice. Similar to other fields, thankfully technology has come to our rescue in the area of career guidance also. This paper presents a systematic review of Expert Systems (ES) developed for career guidance, course selection and evaluation of students in the past ten years. The popular research databases Google Scholar and Science Direct were used for obtaining the relevant research papers through broad keywords. The keywords were refined to identify the articles related to rule-based, case-based and fuzzy logic-based ES used for career guidance. A total of twenty-five peer-reviewed relevant articles with full-text available online was selected for the final study. In order to avoid duplicity, technical reports and unreferenced literature were excluded. The review identifies the relatively high weight given by the researchers to rule-based systems owing to their simplicity and broad applicability. However, the relative merits and demerits of rule-based, case-based and fuzzy logic-based ES are highly dependent on the field of application. Nevertheless, ES find wide applications in the area of career guidance and have the potential to enhance the career guidance accessibility of the most remote students.
{"title":"A Systematic Study of the Literature on Career Guidance Expert Systems for Students: Implications for ODL","authors":"Shilpa Gunwant","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.648","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.648","url":null,"abstract":"The continual evolution of employment opportunities in the present industrial era has raised the need for career-long expert advice. Similar to other fields, thankfully technology has come to our rescue in the area of career guidance also. This paper presents a systematic review of Expert Systems (ES) developed for career guidance, course selection and evaluation of students in the past ten years. The popular research databases Google Scholar and Science Direct were used for obtaining the relevant research papers through broad keywords. The keywords were refined to identify the articles related to rule-based, case-based and fuzzy logic-based ES used for career guidance. A total of twenty-five peer-reviewed relevant articles with full-text available online was selected for the final study. In order to avoid duplicity, technical reports and unreferenced literature were excluded. The review identifies the relatively high weight given by the researchers to rule-based systems owing to their simplicity and broad applicability. However, the relative merits and demerits of rule-based, case-based and fuzzy logic-based ES are highly dependent on the field of application. Nevertheless, ES find wide applications in the area of career guidance and have the potential to enhance the career guidance accessibility of the most remote students.","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42899808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amy B. Caton, Danita Bradshaw-Wardis, K. Kinshuk, Wilhelmina C. Savenye
As learners engage, test, and apply new subject knowledge, they often expend their cognitive capacity on the technological tools designed to capture their learning progress and outcomes. The energy and attention spent on these tools reduces their capacity to engage deeply with new learning concepts. Digital literacy skills require both cognitive and technical skills to develop a learner’s ability to locate, use, and communicate information. Increasingly complex information environments create various barriers for student learning, and as our learning and working industries continue to evolve and integrate technologies, students must overcome these barriers by bridging learning needs and technology expectations. This research explores the value of developing digital literacy to improve learners’ cognitive flexibility by decreasing technological cognitive load and increasing learning fluency. The findings highlight the need for establishing scaffolded digital literacy skills and digital tool selection, and expand college readiness requirements to include digital literacy as a prerequisite skill for learners.
{"title":"Future Directions for Digital Literacy Fluency using Cognitive Flexibility Research: A Review of Selected Digital Literacy Paradigms and Theoretical Frameworks","authors":"Amy B. Caton, Danita Bradshaw-Wardis, K. Kinshuk, Wilhelmina C. Savenye","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.818","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.818","url":null,"abstract":"As learners engage, test, and apply new subject knowledge, they often expend their cognitive capacity on the technological tools designed to capture their learning progress and outcomes. The energy and attention spent on these tools reduces their capacity to engage deeply with new learning concepts. Digital literacy skills require both cognitive and technical skills to develop a learner’s ability to locate, use, and communicate information. Increasingly complex information environments create various barriers for student learning, and as our learning and working industries continue to evolve and integrate technologies, students must overcome these barriers by bridging learning needs and technology expectations. This research explores the value of developing digital literacy to improve learners’ cognitive flexibility by decreasing technological cognitive load and increasing learning fluency. The findings highlight the need for establishing scaffolded digital literacy skills and digital tool selection, and expand college readiness requirements to include digital literacy as a prerequisite skill for learners.","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42175820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article focuses on the outcome of a tracer study of former NAMCOL TVET trainees who completed their training in 2017, 2018 and 2019 in the following trades: Automotive Mechanics, Welding & Metal Fabrication, Office Administration and Plumbing & Pipe-Fitting in terms of their employment profile, opinions on the quality and effect of training they received in light of their employment experiences. The study revealed that former trainees were well equipped with relevant knowledge and skills needed by the job market. However, the majority were unemployed, and among the employed, others were employed outside their specialisation. Furthermore, the study revealed some challenges that former trainees encountered while studying with NAMCOL, among others, inadequate equipment, lack of job attachment opportunities, financial constraints, and the delay of equipment and material supply. The study further made recommendations that could improve TVET quality and delivery at NAMCOL.
{"title":"Tracer study of 2017-2019 NAMCOL TVET graduates","authors":"B. Sichombe","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.651","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.651","url":null,"abstract":"This article focuses on the outcome of a tracer study of former NAMCOL TVET trainees who completed their training in 2017, 2018 and 2019 in the following trades: Automotive Mechanics, Welding & Metal Fabrication, Office Administration and Plumbing & Pipe-Fitting in terms of their employment profile, opinions on the quality and effect of training they received in light of their employment experiences. The study revealed that former trainees were well equipped with relevant knowledge and skills needed by the job market. However, the majority were unemployed, and among the employed, others were employed outside their specialisation. Furthermore, the study revealed some challenges that former trainees encountered while studying with NAMCOL, among others, inadequate equipment, lack of job attachment opportunities, financial constraints, and the delay of equipment and material supply. The study further made recommendations that could improve TVET quality and delivery at NAMCOL. ","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47567890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
To ensure its partners have the capacity to implement gender responsive projects, COL introduced an online training programme on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This paper reports the methodology and results in measuring the efficacy of this online training at individual and organisational levels. The ability of individuals and organisations to plan and implement transformative actions with a gender perspective require adequate knowledge, skills and a change in attitudes. Given this need, the commonly used Knowledge, Attitude, Skills (KAS) model was used to measure the efficacy of this online training at individual and organisational levels by defining different dimensions of capacities with three learning domains — Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor (Bloom’s Taxonomy). The baseline and the end line of KAS at the individual level on the six core gender capacities was established for comparison. Two questionnaires were designed to assess the learning achievements of the participants and to measure the efficacy of the training. An analysis of the study registers a clear trend of positive outcomes at the individual level regarding improved knowledge, attitudes and skills on gender equality that could be applied in their work. Furthermore, the paper reports that the organisations demonstrate an enabling environment for more gender equal policies, structures and practices and proposes ways to convert the success of this training by integrating it into the broader gender equality strategy of these organisations.
{"title":"Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Capacity Building of Organisations and Individuals","authors":"Damodaram Kuppuswami, Frances J. Ferreira","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.621","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.621","url":null,"abstract":"To ensure its partners have the capacity to implement gender responsive projects, COL introduced an online training programme on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This paper reports the methodology and results in measuring the efficacy of this online training at individual and organisational levels. The ability of individuals and organisations to plan and implement transformative actions with a gender perspective require adequate knowledge, skills and a change in attitudes. Given this need, the commonly used Knowledge, Attitude, Skills (KAS) model was used to measure the efficacy of this online training at individual and organisational levels by defining different dimensions of capacities with three learning domains — Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor (Bloom’s Taxonomy). The baseline and the end line of KAS at the individual level on the six core gender capacities was established for comparison. Two questionnaires were designed to assess the learning achievements of the participants and to measure the efficacy of the training. An analysis of the study registers a clear trend of positive outcomes at the individual level regarding improved knowledge, attitudes and skills on gender equality that could be applied in their work. Furthermore, the paper reports that the organisations demonstrate an enabling environment for more gender equal policies, structures and practices and proposes ways to convert the success of this training by integrating it into the broader gender equality strategy of these organisations. \u0000 ","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47789446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ángel Geovanny Rochina-Chisag, Almighty C. Tabuena
The primary objective of this paper is to analyse the weaknesses, threats, strengths, and opportunities (SWOT matrix analysis) of online teaching and learning in educational institutions (primary, secondary, and higher education) in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study of the descriptive documentary type was conducted, where the information obtained from virtual education in times of crisis and outbreaks was collected and analysed. It was found that educational centers at different levels of schooling still continued to use traditional teaching methods and processes subject to old procedures as a basis for their incursion into virtuality, although other establishments began to handle combined modalities such as blended and hybrid online (e-learning) modes of learning. In conclusion, the deadly coronavirus disease (SARS-COV-2) abruptly halted much human activity worldwide. This forced hesitant educational systems that still used traditional face-to-face teaching methods in classrooms to move and change to online learning in many regions, regardless of the socioeconomic level and demographics of the students. Aside from determining how to deal with the problems and challenges of virtual education during epidemics and natural disasters, it is clear that the number of technology-driven educational start-ups has increased significantly.
{"title":"Online Learning as an Alternative Learning Modality in Ecuador’s Education Institutions Amidst Crises and Outbreaks: A SWOT Analysis","authors":"Ángel Geovanny Rochina-Chisag, Almighty C. Tabuena","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.665","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.665","url":null,"abstract":"The primary objective of this paper is to analyse the weaknesses, threats, strengths, and opportunities (SWOT matrix analysis) of online teaching and learning in educational institutions (primary, secondary, and higher education) in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative study of the descriptive documentary type was conducted, where the information obtained from virtual education in times of crisis and outbreaks was collected and analysed. It was found that educational centers at different levels of schooling still continued to use traditional teaching methods and processes subject to old procedures as a basis for their incursion into virtuality, although other establishments began to handle combined modalities such as blended and hybrid online (e-learning) modes of learning. In conclusion, the deadly coronavirus disease (SARS-COV-2) abruptly halted much human activity worldwide. This forced hesitant educational systems that still used traditional face-to-face teaching methods in classrooms to move and change to online learning in many regions, regardless of the socioeconomic level and demographics of the students. Aside from determining how to deal with the problems and challenges of virtual education during epidemics and natural disasters, it is clear that the number of technology-driven educational start-ups has increased significantly.","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48601863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial","authors":"S. Panda","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.840","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.840","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47075520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Learning for Development: Lessons from Diverse Contexts and Perspectives","authors":"S. Panda","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i2.741","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i2.741","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49116080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
‘Institutionalising open education-open teaching in the university culture is about leadership envisioning and leading sustainable change.’ This article seeks to to provoke a dialogue and we welcome your feedback in our social media spaces.
{"title":"Why Open Teaching Matters!","authors":"Don Olcott Jr","doi":"10.56059/jl4d.v9i2.686","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i2.686","url":null,"abstract":"‘Institutionalising open education-open teaching in the university\u0000culture is about leadership envisioning and leading sustainable change.’\u0000This article seeks to to provoke a dialogue and we welcome your feedback in our social media spaces.","PeriodicalId":36056,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Learning for Development","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44435849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}