International Association of Educators   |  ISSN: 1308-9501

Volume 11 Issue 2 (June 2020)

Original Articles

The Development of Comic Book as Extensive Reading Material for A Boarding School’s Students

Ginanjar Arif Wijaya, Dyah Setyowati Ciptaningrum

pp. 1 - 9

Abstract

Muhammadiyah Boarding School Al Muhajirin currently has an issue of lacking of appropriate extensive reading material for its students. The result of the preliminary research suggests that comic book is the appropriate form of extensive reading material. Therefore, this research is conducted in order to develop a comic book as extensive reading material appropriate for the boarding school’s students. There are 32 students of the 8th and 9th grade, junior high school level, who act as the participants in the research. It is a research and development following ADDIE instructional design which consists of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation steps. Qualitative data was collected through interview and the quantitative data was collected via questionnaire. Three aspects of the comic book were assessed by the experts. They are the content, the language used, and the presentation aspects. The mean results of the assessment respectively were 3.67, 3.64, and 3.84. Each of which fulfils the quality statement of “very good”. The students were also asked for their opinion about the comic. The average score was 3.33 which is also “very good”. It implied that the developed comic book was appropriate for the boarding school’s students. It satisfied the students and the experts. Since the comic book could only cover limited area of the context and Islamic teachings which become the requirement of the product appropriateness, more comic books needed to be developed to cover different topics.

Keywords: Comic, Extensive Reading, Reading Material, Boarding School

School Climate, Academic Achievement and Students' Personal Factors as Correlates of Interest in Schooling Among Undergraduates of University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Olubukola Adesola Oyebanji

pp. 10 - 19

Abstract

The study examined school climate, academic achievement and students' personal factors as correlates of interest in schooling among Undergraduates of University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted, and structured copies of questionnaire were used to gather data. The study adopted multistage sampling procedure to select two hundred (200) undergraduates in University of Ibadan who participated in the study. The result revealed that school climate, academic achievement and students' personal factors had significant joint influence on interest in schooling (F(7,192) = 18.331; p<0.05), and out of school climate, academic achievement and students' personal factors (level of study, gender, age, religion and family background), school climate and academic achievement have significant independent influence on interest in schooling (b=-0.234; t = -5.942; p<0.05. b=0.497; t = 8.138; p<0.05. b=0.266; t = 4.377; p<0.05) among Undergraduates of University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The study concluded that there was significant relative and joint influence of school climate and academic achievement on interest in schooling among Undergraduates of University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Therefore, it was recommended that University council and authority, counseling psychologists, educational administrators and parents should take cognizance of academic achievement and school climate in the development of any intervention to assist undergraduates with low or no interest in schooling.

Keywords: school climate, academic achievement, students' personal factors, interest in schooling

A Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Traditions for Teacher Education

Emmanuel Adjei-Boateng

pp. 20 - 29

Abstract

Research is important to teacher education since teachers are supposed to be active practitioners who are reflective in their practice and able to use research ideas to find a solution to educational problems. Understanding the major research traditions is crucial in teacher education. It is important for teacher education students, especially those at the graduate level to understand issues of research. The purpose of this paper is an attempt to support students in teacher education programs to understand issues about research traditions and how they can be applied. The study examines the two major research traditions, which apply to teacher education and teaching and learning in general. Quantitative and qualitative approaches to research constitute major important paradigms in educational research, in terms of design and implementation. Research is either quantitative, qualitative, or a mixture of the two approaches. Either approach has its philosophical basis and corresponding designs and methods of implementation. Knowing the theoretical/philosophical basis of each approach as well as when and how to use them will enable graduate students in teacher education programs to understand and apply them appropriately to issues in teaching and learning.

Keywords: Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Paradigm, Ontology, Epistemology, Methodology, Methods.

Effectiveness of Spontaneous Collaboration as a form of Distributed Leadership in School Performance

Touseef Fatıma

pp. 30 - 40

Abstract

Distributed leadership involves people sharing their expertise to get greater output and is observed in any organization by spontaneous collaboration, intuitive working relations and institutionalized practice. Research has identified the role of spontaneous collaboration on multiple school performance such as rate of enrollment, rate of retention and rate of graduation. However, relatively few is known in Pakistan about role of spontaneous collaboration especially in students’ academic achievement in Mathematics. The present study examined the effectiveness of spontaneous collaboration as a form of distributed leadership in school performance. The quantitative design was found compatible as hypothesis were derived from Peter Gronn’s distributed leadership. The schools where students give their matriculation exam through Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) were population (N=9887). The 370 participants through systematic sampling were selected and responded through an adapted questionnaire that included 39-items reflecting their responses on school performance, instructional strategy and role of leadership with the consideration of Mathematics. The study explained the relationship between school performance as measured by Mathematics results in Board of Secondary Education (SSC-II) Examination and spontaneous collaboration through the computation of Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. The findings of the study indicated that positive and significant relationship found between acceptance of change and school performance. Moreover, the culture of autonomy proved to have significant relationship with school performance. However, the negative while significant relationship existed between trust in the expertise of individual and school performance. Thus, the study shed light on certain aspects of spontaneous collaboration that were found significant with the school performance.

Keywords: Distributed leadership-Spontaneous collaboration–School performance

The Development of a Conceptual Model of Student Satisfaction for Sri Lankan Higher Education

Udara S.P.R. Arachchige, Kohilan Rasenthiran

pp. 41 - 49

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify the most affecting factor for the student satisfaction of higher education in Sri Lankan universities and introduce a conceptual model of student satisfaction with their higher education (HE) experience, based on the identification of the variable determinants of student perceived quality.  The quality of the university facilities is a dominating factor for student satisfaction. University image has not gained more attention on student satisfaction in the current studies. The quality of the academic staff and non-academic staff must immediately improve to maintain student satisfaction at a higher level. At the same time, facilities of the lecture rooms, laboratories, library, internet, and other drinking water and sanitary facilities must immediately improve to enhance student satisfaction.

Keywords: Satisfaction, Higher Education, Undergraduate Students, Sri Lanka